A Certain Railgun Fan Fic
by Cun
Summary: Trouble starts brewing in Academy City when people are suddenly attacked all over the place; ending up in the middle of it as always, Mikoto, Kuroko and the other girls have to use their wits and their abilities to get rid of the problems.
1. Sunday, Evening

**Author's Note**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own To Aru Kagaku no Railgun or any of its characters. I could claim to own my original characters, but they were born out of this universe anyway, so what's the use.

This is my first _finished _work in many years, and I figured why not share it. English is not my mother language, so I've been looking up words in dictionaries like a madman during the months I've spent writing this story. I hope it satisfies everyone, even though I wish I knew even more English than I do.

As for the story, I had no idea where it was going when I started, so it might seem a bit stereotypical at times, especially the beginning. Hopefully I've been able to knit it all together into a if not great, at least nice flowing story. It's finished, and will be posted at regular intervals as I see fit – even if I get no feedback at all (though getting a few reviews is always wanted of course – any good suggestions and how-to-do-it-better's are always welcome!).

I've tried staying somewhat cannon, but at the same time keeping it as a stand-alone. I've watched the animes and read what few books that's been translated by Baka-Tsuki (but only the ones with Mikoto in it, haha), and I'm following the Railgun manga. Obviously, I like the Railgun setting the best, so that's where we are. Whatever I couldn't find info about on Wikipedia or other places, I simply made up, so if any "facts" clashes with anything in the novels, excuse me, and ignore ~

This is a fan fiction after all =)

So… hope you enjoy!

(also, why is there no "action" genre? Sigh)

* * *

**A CERTAIN RAILGUN FAN FIC**

**By Cun**

**Sunday, September 17th **

**Sunday, Evening**

"Hehe, what a pretty little girl." Grinning, the man sauntered closer with hands tucked in his pockets. "Isn't it a bit late for small girls like you to be outside, eeeh?" He gazed down at a girl wearing the beige-colored vest and dark grey skirt of Tokiwadai middle school. Studying her nicely shaped figure, though maybe a little small in the front, he decided she couldn't be older than fifteen. The girl brought her hand up to her shoulder length brown hair and tugged it behind her ear, leaning against the wall and looking at him with an unimpressed expression.

In the late evening they were located in an alley between two buildings, and any passerby's were either not seeing them, or pretending not to, fearing to become involved in something. Even in Academy City, where 80% of the 2,3 million inhabitants are students, criminals roam the underground, and sometimes they popped out above the ground as well.

"Jeez…" the girl muttered, barely audible, and averted her gaze from the man. This would be, what, the third time this week? The guy stopped mere centimeters away from her, putting his arm on the wall above her head and leaning down with a confident grin. His pals were snickering nearby. It wasn't everyday they got to grab a rich girl from Academy City's most prestigious all girls school.

"I'm sure a lady like you would want to get home as soon as possible," the man said, enjoying this more and more every minute. "We'll follow you safely back home, eh, for a small fee, what you say?" His buddies grunted in laughter. With only this little girl, there was no reason to gang up really, but in this city you would never take chances like that. They were safer in numbers.

He grinned at her. "Why are you so quiet?" He laughed and straightened, putting his hands on his hips. "You're not scared of us big bad espers, are you? I promise, we'll be very nice…" he reached out to grab her shoulder, but the second before he touched her, retracted his hand and screamed in agony as what felt like an electrical charge surged through his body from his fingertips.

"Shit, man, what happened?" One of his buddies exclaimed.

The girl gave a sigh, and when she lifted her head and looked at them, they could see no fear in her eyes. Just plain boredom.

"Seriously, I've heard better lines from a tape recorder. Get lost." She stopped resting her back against the wall, and didn't even grace them with a glance as she turned away and started walking toward the main street.

"What the hell, bitch!" His hand was sore, but his pride were even more injured, and worth defending. He raised his other hand in the air, wind surrounding it in a sudden gust. His buddies were urging him on again. "I'm a fucking level three esper, don't fucking mess with me!" He pointed his hand at her back, and the spinning air shot from him towards the girl at amazing speed – BZZZT! – electrical currents tore through the wind attack, shooting right back at him, and zapped his whole being. As he fell to the ground twitching in pain, his buddies were staring at the middle school girl in fear. She was facing them again, her eyes sporting a bored look and one hand on her hip, what seemed like electrical charges zapping from her body every now and then. In Academy City, the city with the sole purpose of training and educating the users of esp abilities, things like this happened all the time, but for those who knew anything about the difference in power levels (which would be all inhabitants of the city) this particular scene was still scary.

"As I said; get lost." Her bored voice was tinted with a warning tone, and an electrical charge crackled from her temple.

Yeah, they should have known. They really should have known better. But right then and there, the pride of their whole gang was at stake; never mind that it was just a little girl – no, _because_ it was just a little girl: This was unacceptable. The man was barely on his way to his feet, his clothes burnt and smoking, when the other guys charged forward with fierce battle cries. She stood still, waiting for them, it seemed, and sighed.

The lightning could be seen crackling in the sky from at least three blocks away, and three grocery stores were laid in darkness as the power went out. The thugs were all lying on the ground, smoking, steaming and moaning in pain. The girl tucked another lock of brown hair behind her ear, watching them uninterestedly.

"Jeez, it's been a while since I fought so many at once, you made me miscalculate the power level." As though it was their fault alone. "Seriously though, you guys should stop harassing girls like that." With this unnecessary comment, she turned around and left the alleyway, grumbling to herself while completely ignoring the onlookers who had gathered outside and were throwing her baffled looks or staring at the thugs in awe. Why did it always end up like this? Apparently, even though most people in this city knew of at least the top three level fives, they didn't know what they looked like. Maybe she should start wearing a sign around her neck: 'Misaka Mikoto, level five, Railgun'. She didn't particularly mind to that end; better they had a go at her than some defenseless girl. But it could have at least been some sort of challenge to the fights – usually it felt like she was just being a bully… Weren't there any high level ability users on the wrong side of the law as well? She sighed again.

"What the – Onee-sama!"

Mikoto snapped out of her own world and turned to look behind her. A girl with long, reddish brown hair in wavy twin pigtails instantly appeared in front of her. She was wearing the same kind of uniform as Mikoto, and around her right upper arm, fastened to her white school shirt's sleeve, was a green armband with a shield on it. "Ah, Kuroko." Mikoto said.

"Don't 'ah' me!" Shirai Kuroko put her hands on her hips and gave a chastising look to the other girl. "I saw the lights from what looked like a fight between ability users and rushed here at once – why do I _always_ find you at those scenes?"

Mikoto sighed again, shifting her weight and putting her hands behind her head. What a coincidence, having Kuroko on patrol nearby just now. Any other Judgment member would take twice the time to get here. Really, if all the Judgment members had been teleporters, maybe they'd actually manage to keep peace in the city.

"Don't ignore me!" The long-haired girl screeched. "How many times must I tell you to not go around assaulting people like that!"

"I didn't assault them; they attacked me!" Mikoto protested, eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "I even tried to end it without a fight this time! What am I supposed to do, lay down and cry while I wait for you guys to come?"

Kuroko was not impressed and poked an accusing finger into her chest. "You caused a power failure in the whole neighborhood!"

"Ah, well…" she sweat-dropped and averted her eyes from the livid girl in front of her, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "It's been a while, you know… I miscalculated a little."

"_A little!_?"

Mikoto could swear smoke was steaming out of Kuroko's ears. She swatted the other's hand away and put her hands on her hips, huffing. "Whatever, I'm not helpless you know, use your time on helping someone who really needs it." Turning around with an irritated face, she walked on down the sidewalk.

"I have to use all that time on cleaning up _your mess_!"

Mikoto ignored her, and heard Kuroko mutter incomprehensible words of irritation behind her.

In Academy City, the Judgment is an organization consisting of students who keep other students inside the boundaries of the law, as well as doing menial tasks like finding lost items, cleaning littered areas and even act as traffic police on some occasions. They are usually assigned an area of jurisdiction per branch, and would keep order there while still attending school like other students. Occasionally, though, they would step into other cases and keep everything in order until Anti-Skill, Academy City's answer to the police, could enter the scene. Kuroko used the next thirty minutes doing exactly that, securing the area and collecting witness accounts, all the while steaming at Mikoto's childish behavior. In the end, the thugs were all taken away by the ambulance accompanied by an Anti-Skill car, and she could finally get back to headquarters. It was past ten in the evening by the time she got there. Their branch office was actually nothing more than a rebuilt apartment on the second floor of a small building, but it served its purpose well for the few Judgment members they were there.

"Welcome back, Shirai-san." Uiharu Kazari smiled from her desk, where she was typing on a computer as usual. Her short, fluffy dark hair was adorned by its usual flowery headband, making her look like an eternal young maid dressed in a middle school uniform. Now she leaned back in her chair, taking a break from her work to look at the other girl. "Did you get lost on your way back? I almost considered filing a missing persons report to Anti-Skill."

Kuroko stood in the door for a minute, steaming silently, before she mechanically moved over to Kazari's desk and sat down on an empty chair. "It was onee-sama who decided to fry some thugs." She said.

"Misaka-san?" Kazari smiled uncertainly as she imagined the older girl having fun with some unlucky delinquents.

"Of course, she isn't the one to blame. They confessed to have attacked her first." Kuroko sighed elegantly, then her expression turned weary. "Apparently they thought they were going to have some good time with a rich lady. You would think people knew to avoid her by now…" The last part was muttered, almost inaudible.

Kazari scratched her cheek, an unconvincing smile on her face. "So, everything was all right then… or…?"

"Seven thugs to the hospital, three buildings with power outage – at least that's not hard to fix – and one back alley that needs a new layer of asphalt." Kuroko leaned back in the chair and sighed deeply, eyes narrowed into a scowl. Kazari tried to imagine what the street would look like to need a new layer of asphalt.

Trying to take her mind off the report that needed to be written, Kuroko looked at Kazari's five computer screens, filled with files and internet sites. "How is the investigation going? Any news regarding those taggers?"

"No, not yet." Kazari looked back at her screens as well. "I've been trying to locate all the places where they've been so far – 95, still counting. I'm starting to think it's an organized gang, rather than a few delinquents, especially considering there have been no arrests yet." Her face turned tired. "Store owners are mad at us for not being able to stop it; they're spray painting their windows."

"Hmmm." Kuroko leaned forward, touching her chin.

"Not to mention the spray they use won't simply be washed off. It has to be removed using a chemical only available to pharmacy businesses and research centers. It's a pain to get rid of!" Kazari complained while bringing up a map of Academy City on one of the screens, and pointed to the locations marked on it. They were all over seventh district. Tagging was always a problem in such a big city, of course, but starting last week, it had exploded in district seven. Anti-Skill were having trouble keeping up with all the cases, and had asked for Judgment's cooperation.

"So far we've established that they're moving randomly." Kazari said. "The tagging are appearing all over district 7, and there doesn't seem to be any consistency to it. The markings are all different as well, and most of them carry no meaning whatsoever."

"Almost like kids doodling on the walls?" Kuroko said while watching the map in mild interest. If it was a gang, they would have most likely used a consistent mark or something to identify their spots, would they not? Sighing, she stood up. "Well, I've got to finish my report, then I'm going home. Don't sit up too late now."

"Eeeh, you should listen to your own advice sometimes, Shirai-san!"

* * *

Note: Since the first and second chapters are fairly short, I'll post them both at once. Just because I can.


	2. Monday, Early afternoon

**Monday, September 18th **

**Monday, Early afternoon**

Mikoto watched with no interest as a blue spark moved between her thumb and forefinger, swirling kind of like a snake. A low bzzz'ing sound was everything it did to make its existence known. It was a relaxing feeling, but she didn't do it because she wanted to relax. Sighing, she let the electric charge disperse and leaned back on the bench, legs crossed, arms behind her head. It was a hot late-summer day, and school was over. The sky was blue with only a few white puffs of clouds on the horizon, and this area, one of district seven's many plazas, was flourishing with green trees, fountains and thrilled students. However the girl known as the ace of Tokiwadai Middle School wasn't enjoying any of this. She was staring at the sky, silently cursing the way too hot weather that made her sweat like a pig. Already she had spent an hour browsing the manga stands of the nearest convenience store, and she couldn't keep going back just to pretend she was going to buy something in order to enjoy the air condition. In other words, she was now horribly bored and bothered. Why didn't such an advanced city have air condition installed everywhere? At least they could make the windmills spin a bit faster to make some wind!

However, there seemed to be an unwritten rule that whenever Mikoto got bored, something would happen in the near proximity. Either that, or the underclassman who spotted her from the other side of the plaza had a sixth sense for detecting exactly that feeling.

"Oneee-sama!" Like a cannonball, the girl collided squarely with her stomach, making her gasp for air. It was Kuroko, who proceeded to strap her arms around her waist tightly. "Were you waiting for Kuroko? Oh, how romantic of you, onee-sama!" She rubbed her cheek into Mikoto's stomach.

"What are you doing, pervert!" Red-faced, Mikoto grabbed the younger girl by her shoulders and shoved her away.

"Ara, your shyness is your beauty." Kuroko flirted with her lashes.

"I'm not shy!"

"Then why is your face all red?" Kuroko leaned over her again, and Mikoto tried fending her off with her arm, turning redder still. "Are your desires for Kuroko finally showing themselves? It must be, certainly onee-sama have no such thoughts of any boys - Aaah, onee-sama, how I have waited for this day! Let us celebrate by getting to know each other better!" She grasped for Mikoto's chest.

"Guah – lay off!" There was a 'zap' and a ray of blue sparks; Kuroko fell to the ground, twitching. Mikoto glared at the pigtailed girl, her face beet red and heart thumping.

"Your love whip is as fierce as always." Kuroko said, standing up, still feeling a bit static.

"You brain is still as damaged as alwuuh – " She was interrupted as Kuroko grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her up from the bench.

"Let's go, onee-sama!" The small girl cried heartily.

"Eh? Go where? I'm not going anywhere close to those weird love hotels with you –"

"Oh my, what naughty imagination!" Kuroko smirked, and Mikoto reddened again. "We're going to the mall! You're going to shop with me!"

"That's even worse!"

The Seventh Mist mall was a seven-story building filled with mostly clothes shops and cafeterias. Mikoto didn't usually frequent the place, but her roommate had an agreement with two underclassmen from another school. Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko was waving at them from in front of the shopping center. They were both wearing the uniform of Sakugawa middle school; white, short-sleeved blouses with blue sailor collars and red scarves, and a long, blue skirt seeming more fit for a young girl than Tokiwadai's short ones. Even though Mikoto was bored at the prospect of seeing Kuroko buy tons of revealing underwear, she couldn't stay in such an unmotivated state when seeing those bright smiles, and she smiled too as they approached. "Hey, long time no see." Even though it had only been a week or so.

"Misaka-san, it's very nice to see you again." Uiharu Kazari, the girl with what looked like a cap of flowers on her head, bowed. Mikoto scratched her cheek uncomfortably at the gesture, recognizing too much of her Tokiwadai fan girls in it.

"Let's get rid of some cash!" Ruiko exclaimed. She was a girl with long, black hair adorned by a single flowery hair pin, and seemed to be always smiling.

The girls spent the afternoon going through the clothes stores, looking at dresses, swimsuits and underwear. Kuroko bought a very suggestive lingerie, and Mikoto had a feeling she would be seeing that in her bedroom quite soon. Ruiko tormented Kazari by proposing to her the most revealing underwear imaginable, and Mikoto was gazing starry-eyed at a Gekota swimsuit until Kuroko proceeded to proclaim loudly how Mikoto should stop wearing shorts under her skirt and start wearing "real ladies panties" instead, to which Mikoto turned beet red and answered by shouting insults at the other girl. The other customers gave them strange looks, and Kazari and Ruiko sweat-dropped, used to the Tokiwadai students' behavior by now.

Leaving the store at last, they decided to buy some ice cream and sit outside in the sun to enjoy it. Life in the seventh school district was lively as always. Children were gathered at the open playground in the middle of the plaza, and students were lining up in front of the soda and ice cream stands. Mikoto watched people around them in mild interest while eating her cooling strawberry dessert.

"Did you finish your report yesterday, Shirai-san?" Kazari asked the pigtailed girl.

"Yes I did," Kuroko said, "although no thanks to onee-sama who made it all the more work by not restraining herself properly." Her tone was light, but Mikoto heard the underlying vile.

"What? What happened?" Ruiko leaned forward eagerly. Kuroko was apparently enjoying this, and straightened her back in preparation for her story. Mikoto looked another way, not wanting to listen. Her sight caught on a guy in a black leather jacket on the other side of the open square. He was striding along in between the crowd, his short red hair standing out even from this distance. Mikoto watched him until he disappeared from sight, wondering how anyone could wear black leather in this weather. She was literally melting, herself.

When they finished their ice creams, they visited a few more shops (mostly because of the air conditioning), and then headed for someplace to eat proper food. Walking down the street, the heat seemed even more assaulting, and their faces were long and tired.

"Waaaah, I wish we could go to the beach." Ruiko flapped her hands in front of her face, trying to get some relief from the scorching heat. She then reached for her skirt, but a suddenly blushing Kazari screeched and grabbed onto her hands, halting her movement.

"Saten-san, you can't do that!"

Ruiko laughed and rubbed her neck. "Aaah, my mind is having a meltdown from the heat." For some reason, it seemed Kazari was more bothered than her.

"It feels like my face is melting." Mikoto complained tiredly. Kuroko opened her mouth to respond when she was interrupted by Kazari's cell phone.

"Ah –" the flowery girl put it to her ear. "Konori-senpai? Eeeh? Right now?" Her face looked like she would start sobbing any moment. "Hai... Hai." She hung up.

"What was that?" Mikoto asked.

"Apparently two high school students were caught red-handed spray painting a window." Kazari groaned. "We'll need to go there and arrest them."

Kuroko had already put her green armband on. "Let's go, Uiharu!"

"Haaaai."

"We'll bring some take-out food by the office later!" Ruiko happily announced, waving after them with her whole arm as they ran down the street. Mikoto was just happy she wasn't the one required to run around in this weather.

* * *

Note: If anyone finds it weird to read about Uiharu as "Kazari" and Saten as "Ruiko", this was my decision after I kept mixing them up (sometimes referring to their last names and sometimes their first names). When writing, I found it natural to use their first names unless there are situations when we are seeing a character's point of view who would think of them as "Uiharu" and "Saten" all the time. You'll get used to it.


	3. Monday, Late afternoon

**Monday, Late afternoon**

The spray taggers turned out to be normal delinquents with normal spray, and not connected to the big tagging case at all. When Anti-Skill had picked them up, Kuroko and Kazari headed to Judgment 177th branch headquarters feeling disgruntled. Their upperclassman, Konori Mii, greeted them as they entered the office, without taking her eyes off the computer screen, her glasses reflecting the images on it.

"Aaah!" Kazari dumped into one of the couches like a sack of potatoes, pleasure written all over her face. "I don't ever want to move from this spot!" Having no air condition, they had filled their office with electric fans, and they made the day much more bearable.

"We still have to write the report." Kuroko said dryly, hands on her hips. "To think they were only amateur taggers with too much free time though. Using energy on something that didn't even give us more clues on the real case makes it feel like it's all wasted." She looked over at Konori, who seemed to be very much engrossed in her work. "What are you doing, Konori-senpai?"

"172nd branch received a report from a student who claims they were attacked by someone saying 'the Sniper' is claiming this territory." Konori said without looking away from her screen. "They were wondering if anyone else had heard anything like that. "

Kuroko looked at her screen; it was full of random internet sites. "Um, so, what are you doing?" She asked again.

"I got curious, so I'm trying to find some information on this 'Sniper'. I know he's a level five, but that's all."

"You won't get access to the databank out of normal curiosity though," Kuroko said, "so, you're trying to find information from gossip forums and articles?" Her face fell; their senior must be really interested to bother doing something like this.

"Hmm yes, but so far there is very little." Sighing, the older girl shoved her chair back and faced the other two. "He's ranked as number six, and his powers seems to be 'sniping', whatever that means. He seems to be shy of publicity too, so there is little information to find. It only makes me wonder why he'd make someone 'claim territory' for him."

"Sounds like a hoax." Kuroko said confidently.

"Wouldn't that be like a challenge against Misaka-san?" Kazari asked from her spot on the couch.

Kuroko snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Uiharu. There are no territories in this city. Level fives _are_ normal humans, after all." Saying this, she didn't realize that 90% of the other inhabitants of Academy City would disagree.

"So what happened with the taggers?" Konori asked, leaning back into her chair comfortably.

"They seemed not to be so bright." Kuroko quipped.

"They are most likely not part of those other tagging incidents." Kazari filled in, still laying at her spot on the sofa. "They were using normal spray as well, so the store owner can just wash it off."

"Of course there will be dead ends," Kuroko continued thoughtfully, "tagging is a normal vandalism problem, after all. Moreover, it's sad that there are so many students with too much free time in this city." She shook her head in grief.

"Hey guys!" Ruiko was suddenly standing in the doorway, smiling brightly and holding up a bag with take-away food. Mikoto followed, showing off the bag in her hand as well with a big smile.

"We've got food!" The words had barely left her mouth before Kuroko flung herself around Mikoto's neck, who almost lost balance at the sudden weight. "Woah!"

"Onee-sama!" With shimmering eyes, Kuroko gazed up at her, making Mikoto grimace. "You are so thoughtful, aaah, my heart flutters!"

"Hai, hai." Mikoto sweat-dropped and pushed her face away. But as soon as she sat down on the couch opposite of the one where Kazari was laying, the pigtailed girl was glued at her side again. Kazari sat up, and Ruiko plopped down beside her after placing all the boxes with different kinds of take-away food on the table. Soon they were all eating with good appetite, Konori included.

"So, how did it go?" Ruiko asked when they were well into the feeding.

"Turned out they were just normal delinquents." Kazari sighed dejectedly. "I ran so far for so little…" Even the flowers on her head seemed to be drooping.

"But you guys have been investigating this tagging case since Friday, haven't you?" Mikoto said. "How come you haven't found anything yet?" Usually the duo of Kuroko and Kazari would figure out cases almost before they'd become a problem.

"They strike at night, leave no trails, and disguise themselves so the security cameras are as good as useless." Kuroko sighed. "However, we will find them soon enough." Muttering, she added: "If only Konori-senpai would help us instead of researching hardly-known level fives…" She threw a stinging sideways glance at the high school student, whom reacted at the mention of her name.

"It's important work!" She protested, though it sounded unconvincing. "Finding information about the Sniper turned out to be harder than I thought, though…"

"The Sniper, eh?" Mikoto said thoughtfully, digging in her food with her chopsticks, searching for more bits of chicken. Konori suddenly banged her palms on the table, making them all jump. She seemed fired up as she stared at Mikoto. "Do you know him, Misaka-san?"

"Um, no," she sweat-dropped. "I just think I've heard the name before, that's all." Konori studied her thoroughly, making Mikoto feel guilty (though the crime was unknown), then sat back down in her seat while rubbing her chin.

"Misaka-san," Kazari said from beside Konori, "do you know any of the other level fives at all?"

"Eh?" Mikoto looked at her, surprised at the question.

"There's some really intense rivalry between you guys and grand battles in the shadows and stuff, right?" Ruiko asked immediately, eagerly leaning forwards.

"Err, it's not like we go around fighting each other, if that's what you mean… haha…"

"Aaah," the younger girls said, eyes wide. Mikoto rubbed the back of her head and laughed awkwardly. What the heck had they been imagining?

"But how did you get your rank then?" Ruiko continued. "Didn't you have to beat everyone else to get to be number three?" She made a punching motion, as if simulating such a fight. "Since there's seven level fives, it must have been hard work!"

Mikoto didn't even know what to answer.

"You mustn't think of the rankings as the results of a fighting arena, Saten-san," Kuroko lectured from her spot beside Mikoto, like a teacher to her student, "like all ability users, level fives are also measured for the system scan every six or twelve months, and the rankings are based on each individual score. In other words," she gestured to Mikoto, "onee-sama is deemed as the theoretically third strongest based only on numbers, but in a real fight, strategy, stamina and of course the battleground itself are important factors."

The other girls where ooh'ing at these clever words, and Mikoto sighed and looked at Konori-senpai. She had stopped paying them any attention at all while studying a pamphlet. Looking closer, it seemed like the front was covered with round glass bowls and tags with 'super prices!' all over. _Goldfish bowls?_ Mikoto was somewhat amazed. Kuroko suddenly decided to glomp her, and she yelped at the sudden assault to her midsection. "But of course, onee-sama, you would best them all!"

"Keep your hands to yourself!"

"So you don't even know their names then, Misaka-san?" Ruiko asked, but Mikoto was busy trying to keep Kuroko away from her body, yelling and shoving at her roommate.

"There's Accelerator and Sniper, at least." Kazari said, looking at her food thoughtfully. "Number two is the leader of an organization called 'School', I think…"

"Yes, that's right, his name is Teitoku if I remember correctly." Kuroko said, taking a break in her attempt at reaching Mikoto, whose face was glowing red by now. "And then there's onee-sama of course, and…" Her face turned grim, as if she had just settled to eat her favorite treat after a long, harsh day only to realize someone had already eaten it, "_The Queen_."

"Huh?" Kazari looked puzzled.

Mikoto sighed. "I don't know how common this knowledge is, but there are in fact two level fives currently attending Tokiwadai."

"Whaat?" Both Kazari and Ruiko's eyes grew wide.

"She calls herself 'The Queen'." Kuroko said, her tone of voice full of sarcasm. "Her power is called 'Mental Out', and she misuses it to no ends. We don't really know much about her, apart from the fact that she has some issues with onee-sama being higher ranked than herself. And so does her fan club."

"Huuuh, so she's what, number four?"

"Five."

"But Misaka-san!" Ruiko exclaimed. "You said there was no rivalry between any of you!"

Mikoto sweat-dropped at the accusation, as if she had been caught lying in a trial for court. "I guess there is some rivalry between some of them, but well… I haven't even met her in person. I think." She added the last bit almost like a question.

"She rarely shows herself in public, so we wouldn't really know." Kuroko explained. "Anyway, she is not that much of an interesting topic."

"Huuh," Ruiko said thoughtfully, leaning back into the sofa. "I never knew." She didn't know much about the top ranked espers in Academy City at all, really. Thanks to knowing Misaka-san, she knew they weren't saints or anything, but they still seemed a far stretch from normal. Then again no-one could call Kuroko normal either, so maybe it was just a rich-girl syndrome.

"For being so full of herself, she sure avoids publicity though." Kuroko rubbed her chin while hunched over Mikoto, saying 'hmm' in an intelligent way, and Mikoto pushed the smaller girl away to finish her food.

"But that means someone like the Sniper would have no reason to come here and claim territory, right?" Kazari asked, totally ignoring Kuroko's distressed expression.

"Eh?" Mikoto looked at her questioningly.

"Ah –" Kuroko elegantly jumped in before Kazari could keep going, "we were just having a discussion earlier whether the city is divided into territories between the level fives… Uiharu is convinced it is, but I told her –"

"Shirai-san!" The flowery girl protested, but Kuroko ignored her.

"Eh…" Mikoto sweat-dropped again. "No, that's not it at all…" Territories? How the heck was that supposed to work; like they were wild animals fighting for their lands?

"I never said that!" The short-haired girl protested, red-faced.

* * *

Note: After writing this, I figured I'd better check if there were any free spots for a new level five at all... luckily for me, turned out it was. Oh, guess what; next chapter is longer!


	4. Monday, Evening

**Monday, Evening**

After having roamed the city aimlessly for some hours, the streets of district seven found a tired Mikoto heading to the dormitory, looking forward to a good night's sleep. It was close to curfew time, and even though it was still far from dark, she didn't want to risk being punished by that pesky dorm mistress. The evening was still too hot, and she wiped sweat off her forehead while silently cursing the heat. Why couldn't there at least be a breath of wind! She gave a tired sigh, back hunched and arms hanging down like a baboon.

She was walking over a bridge that crossed a road with no traffic at this time, when her gaze lazily wandered to her left, and she stopped, the threat waiting at her dorm already forgotten. One could see much of the seventh district from here, all the lights indicating some sort of life. Academy City was a puzzling place compared to other cities. Windmills was scattered everywhere like someone had been throwing darts at a city map and built them wherever they landed; high-tech security and cleaning robots zoomed about trying to catch those breaking the no-smoking-in-streets law and sucking up littering soda cans, and technologies not even dreamt of outside the city was common wares in convenience stores. Still people were studying and living much like in a normal city, but for one fact; the lack of any parents. Her face grew sober as she leaned on the railing. The city claimed to be modern and evolving, but no-one could possibly refuse the fact that it tore families apart when children started school here and the parents continued living in their old home. And not only that, but the ability development program created huge gaps between the students. She had started at level one herself, and the way to level five had been a hard, tiring experience, but still it came to her naturally. She was a person who couldn't stop at any challenge, and reaching the top level was just a result of that. Still, so many gave up on the way and settled for what they had, and then there was people like Saten-san, who stayed as a level zero even though she really wanted to have an ability. This city showed the gap between different kinds of people so clearly, it was almost sickening at times.

"A-ah." She sighed. Being looked upon as an idol, she wasn't known as a deep person, but sometimes her mind lived on its own. Those times, she somehow missed her parents, feeling lonely even in the big city. Even Kuroko couldn't always quite distinguish the feeling. Before the younger girl forced her way into her room, Mikoto had generally kept to herself, since others were only admiring her from afar. When she was younger she had had many friends, but as the gap widened between them, they stopped being her friends and turned into admirers or even jealous gossipers. She had found herself increasingly more often alone at lunch and in her free time. Her former roommate had been too flustered to even talk to her without stuttering, and she was envied by others and harassed by jealous girls. When Kuroko forced her to change room, she hadn't put up much fight. Mikoto guessed that the leap from level four to level five was simply too big for most people, and as a result, those who did reach level five were respected and even feared among the city's 2,3 million inhabitants. Did those other level fives have the same experiences? She sighed again, feeling stupid for thinking about it at all. "Not like I can do anything about it anyway." Maybe she'd eaten something funny; the chicken today did taste a bit…

"Then perhaps I could step in, miss?" She turned around at the mild voice behind her. There stood a man, possibly in his late teens, wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses. His short, spiky red hair was obviously dyed (his eyebrows still being black), and he seemed kind of familiar, but she couldn't tell why. Surely she'd have remembered if she had seen him before, someone with such a silly look as him. He was even attracting glances from other students walking over the bridge. The man grinned, and pulled out a cigarette pack from his jacket, putting one cigarette between his lips and lighting it with a spark from his finger.

"Heh." Mikoto grinned, deciding to not ignore him. "Someone should be lecturing you about that habit. Who are you?"

"Oh, what bad manners I have." The man bowed his head shortly. "My name is William. I am a pyrokinetic ranked as level four."

"Eeh, really?" Mikoto leaned back against the railing, resting her elbows on the cooling steel.

The man in front of her took a drag of his cigarette, then grinned at her. "You are a Tokiwadai student, yes? That means you are at least level three." Wastefully dropping his cigarette to the ground, he kept his hand raised, sparks forming a flame in his palm. "I'm here to make an example. Sniper is claiming this territory, and any resistance will be fried!" The next moment, Mikoto was jumping out of the way of a fireball the size of her head, which proceeded to hit the railing where she just stood and leave black marks. People on the bridge let out screams and yelps while running away.

"What the –" she had no time to finish before yet another fireball shot her way, and she avoided it with a move worthy of a circus acrobat. She shouted, "Are you insane?", and prepared to fight, blue and white sparks surrounding her body. She flung her hand at the man, throwing a lightning bolt through the air with a resounding crackle. The air in front of him erupted into flames, like a burning shield. The lightning bolt hit the flames and was dissolved around it. Mikoto's eyes widened, then she grinned crookedly; she'd never fought a pyrokinetic before. This could be interesting.

"You're no match for me, girl!" The flaming shield vanished, and another fireball was thrown her way; however it was seemingly blown out by a lightning strike, as if it was a candle experiencing a fierce burst of wind. He tried again, flinging a barrage of fireballs at her. Some of them hit the ground and left craters the size of footballs, but the ones in danger of hitting their target all met the same fate; by using her electricity to split the invisible oxygen molecules in the air and leave plain ozone in their place, Mikoto robbed the fire of fuel and it died instantly as a result. Might as well use the windless evening for _something_ good, she figured. It was a skill she'd never used outside of training. She wondered if she should thank him for letting her try it out while sending another lightning strike his way, which met another of those burning shields.

The electricity increased in force, and the beam deflected wildly to all sides of the man and hit the railing and smashed a couple of street lights. The sound of sparks were deafening to their ears, still he was roaring with the effort of keeping his shield up. Not one to give up, was he? That was somehow admirable, but all the more a pain in the neck. How long could he keep his shield up anyway? If she increased the force even more, it would certainly fail, but then the electric charge would be deadly if it actually hit… she sighed and let the beam disperse. He was hunched over, his sweat-drenched face filled with concentration, and then the air started shimmering around him, much like what the air in deserts looked like on television. Was this his last resort move? Mikoto's expression grew bored. She didn't have much experience fighting level fours, but she knew they were actually quite potent, and wondered if this one was making blunders or perhaps being too restraining on his powers because he was expecting someone much less powerful. A lower level electromaster would surely have a hard time, but she was restraining herself quite a lot already; a strong flame user should be able to give her more trouble than this. Well, whatever. There was no use prolonging the battle on purpose.

Before the guy could do whatever he had planned with his heated air, he was hit by a lighting strike from above; this time no fire shield turned up, and he roared in pain as his body convulsed, then fell over, coughing and smoking. She watched him soberly while he fought for breath. The street seemed eerily silent now when the crackling of electricity was gone, and the air smelt of burnt asphalt. Sighing, she scratched her temple. Though the challenge was welcome, it didn't erase the fact that he had attacked her out of nowhere, and quite fiercely so.

"What the hell are you doing?" She didn't shout, but her voice was impatient. Flicking her hair behind her shoulder and then putting her hands on her hips, she gazed upon him with something akin to pity. To her surprise, the man started laughing, and then coughed even more. He sat on the ground, leaning on his hands, and looked up at her with a grin. His sunglasses had slid down his nose, revealing grey eyes.

"Just… my luck." He gasped. "Meeting… the Railgun… of all things…"

"First, I'll have you know I'm not a _thing_." Mikoto bit back irritatingly. "And secondly, why the _hell_ are you randomly attacking someone on the street? Of course, you do look like a delinquent or gang member, but even those don't do idiotic things like that."

He laughed, but stopped abruptly at the sparks crackling dangerously from her hair. "As I said, I'm making an example."

"An example on how to get severely beaten?" She asked incredulously.

He gave a weak smile, pushed his sunglasses back up, and started to get to his feet. Mikoto figured he wasn't stupid enough to try and attack again, so she let him move.

"Well, meeting the Railgun wasn't exactly planned." He was still breathing irregularly. "But since you're already here, I might as well deliver his message now."

What the heck was this guy talking about? And why weren't Judgment or Anti-Skill here yet? Someone was bound to have reported the fight. Mikoto swore they were doing it on purpose, just so Kuroko could yell at her for not waiting, later. She could imagine Kuroko with her snake-like hair and sharp teeth ready to arrest her on the spot. Shaking the image out of her head, she said: "I don't know anyone whose message I'd like to get, so…"

"The Sniper is claiming this territory."

Mikoto stopped in her own words, looking bewildered at the guy in front of her. He had said something like that before he attacked too, hadn't he? "The Sniper?"

"The Sniper, sixth of the level fives in Academy City." The man grinned. "He's claiming this territory, and as you can see, he's not alone. If I were you, I'd lay low from now on."

Her hands clenched into fists unconsciously. "'Lay low'? Is that supposed to be a threat?" A blue spark crackled from her head as her teeth gritted. "Don't you _know_ who I am?"

The man, still grinning, shrugged. "I do. Now why should I care?"

Something snapped inside her. It felt like a string that had been pulled too far, a painful twinge. She gave a short, humorless laugh that would sound deranged to anyone not knowing her. "I don't know what you mean about claiming territory," she said, her voice controlled, deeply opposite of the electric currents zapping around her. "Nor do I care. But…" Looking at the cocky pyrokinetic, she gritted her teeth again, and her voice rose with every word she next spoke, "If _anyone_ so much as _looks_ at any of my friends, classmates or fellow citizens in the wrong way, they _will_ regret it!" The asphalt on either side of the man were struck with lightning, leaving smoking marks in the ground. She breathed heavily, glaring at him. "Now _get lost_!"

The man bowed, turned and walked quickly off the bridge, disappearing between two buildings on the other side. Mikoto tried to catch her breath, suddenly exhausted. It felt like her head would burst any moment, and she felt a headache forming. Slowly, she went to the railing of the bridge and hung her arms over it, watching the city again. What the hell was a level four pyrokinetic thinking, attacking someone like that?

"Eh…" the voice made her turn, and the sight of a lonely Judgment member standing at the end of the bridge, eyes wide as she took in the damage to the area, made her release a deep breath. Then she put on her cocky grin and straightened, arms folded over her chest.

"Better late than never, they say!"

Kuroko looked at her with a serious expression on her face. "Onee-sama…" Mikoto flinched. That tone of voice didn't suit her at all. She wrenched her brain for something to say, but came up empty. Then instead, she sighed and put her hands behind her head, adopting her superior attitude while avoiding to look at Kuroko.

"Man, you guys are always so slow! You're lucky I'm ready and willing to clean things up!"

"… yes, indeed, you did a good job on 'cleaning', onee-sama." Kuroko caught on, but only halfheartedly. Truth was, she had seen the lights from the battle a long way away, and by the looks of the place, this hadn't been the usual thug-beating fight Mikoto normally ended up in. Her upperclassman looked ruffled and tired. "We had several reports on fights almost at the same time, so I was a little late. The Anti-Skill are on their way as well."

Mikoto looked at her, suddenly serious. "More fights?"

"Yes." Kuroko nodded, then sighed. "At least three reports came in at the same time. Now…" She looked squarely at the older girl, "where is the assaulting offender? I assume you were the one to be attacked, although you might never know. Perhaps it is you who I should be arresting?" Smirking, she dangled the handcuffs in front of her.

Mikoto's mouth formed an awkward smile; she figured Kuroko had plenty of plans for her if she was ever caught in those things. "You shouldn't use your dirty toys for work, Kuroko."

"Ara, onee-sama." The other girl smirked. "Do you perhaps long for imprisonment in these by your lovely underclassman?" Then she turned serious again, and lowered the handcuffs. "However, you cannot avoid the question with such out-of-character statements, onee-sama."

_What am I, a stereotype?_ Mikoto sweat-dropped, then sighed. Right now, she didn't know why she'd let him go. It was stupid of her, and by now he could be anywhere. Reluctantly, she said: "He ran away." Well, it was more liked walked actually, but that sounded too suspicious.

"Onee-sama." Kuroko's voice was stern as she approached her, hands firmly planted on her hips as she leaned forward. Apparently she was suspicious anyway. "You cannot in any way or form convince me that the culprit managed to run away from this fight, and neither can you use an excuse such as 'he was a teleporter' or similar, as I clearly saw flames along with your electricity, and everyone knows that there is no possibility of a human having multiple skills." With each word, her face advanced dangerously near Mikoto's chest, making the other girl move backwards until she was leaning on the railing again. She laughed nervously. No way she could escape that one. But she didn't even know why she had let him go. So instead, she deployed evade tactics while Kuroko straightened.

"Neh, Kuroko, the guy said something about 'making an example'. Apparently he's working for the Sniper."

Kuroko's eyes widened and she latched onto her arm like a vice. "Onee-sama, you're coming back to headquarters with me!"

"Whaaat?" That wasn't her plan at all. "I'm tired. I want to sleep." Kuroko pulled out her cell phone and said in an un-sympathizing tone: "Don't be such a crybaby, you can sleep when you are old." She told someone on her phone about the site of battle needing to be secured, and before Mikoto could even form a coherent argument, she was being teleported towards the Judgment headquarters.

* * *

Note: My first action scene... I think I completely rewrote those few paragraphs five or six times. Judging the pacing during a fight is really hard ^_- How did it turn out?


	5. Tuesday, Early afternoon

**Tuesday, September 19th **

**Tuesday, Early afternoon**

"Aaah, why cannot people simply behave?" Kuroko sighed into her nearly empty glass of soda, making her voice sound hollow.

Kazari, who sat beside her, smiled and said: "Maybe if you tried smiling at them instead of leering like a perverted old man…" Kuroko scowled back. It was a new day, and she was tired from all the extra work she had had to do the evening before. Four reports and countless phone calls to and from Anti-Skill would drive anyone to damnation. In addition to that, she and Kazari had spent an hour trying to identify the pyrokinetic whom had attacked Mikoto. With his level, first name, and red hair, it should be no problem, but Anti-Skill hadn't given them access to the database since they were going to investigate the case themselves. According to their update note, his full name was William Mustaf, and he attended Sakugawa high school, third year. That information weren't much help though, and they had been unable to find anything.

"But you guys wouldn't have anything to do if everyone behaved!" Ruiko said happily from the other side of the table, taking a huge bite of her chocolate cake. The café they were at was located in one of the more shady side streets to the main plaza, and it had air condition, so the chocolate topping didn't melt even though it was another hot day. While not as bad as the day before, it was still enough to make people irritable and whiny. The girls had taken refuge in a stall by the wall, sitting in high-backed red sofas which were a bit too hard for comfort.

"I have plenty of work to do, thank you very much." Kuroko said dryly. "Thanks to the horrendous amount of assaults yesterday, Anti-Skill has asked for our co-operation in patrolling and apprehending any suspects. As if we didn't have enough to do with those taggers running around." She sighed deeply. There had been a total of fourteen reports of random attacks in district 7 last night, and 177th branch alone had received four of them. Now they were hunting suspects without knowing their identity, the only thing they had in common being that they all spouted "Sniper is claiming this territory". The only name they had so far was William Mustaf, and he had been allowed to escape by her silly onee-sama and had been missing since. Even at his school, Sakugawa high school, no-one had heard from him in several days.

"They are attacking students everywhere." Kazari said, holding her spoonful of ice cream ready below her chin. "It's kind of scary, someone could get seriously hurt."

"You guys should have some reeeeaally powerful members!" Ruiko exclaimed eagerly. "Like Misaka-san! Why isn't she in Judgment?"

Kuroko sighed again, the mere thought of her onee-sama acting as a Judgment member making her head hurt. They'd have cases like Sunday night all the time. Besides, she'd asked Mikoto about that very thought before, and her answer was very clear: _"No way!" _

"Onee-sama is not fit for such work; she'd end up dragging even more trouble to our office." Besides, being a level four herself, Kuroko didn't exactly qualify as _weak._

"Where is she anyway?" Ruiko looked around as though she might be hiding amongst the other guests.

"She has probably been held up, I told her to come here after school and – onee-sama!" Kuroko's head shot up as the door to the cafeteria opened and the very topic herself entered, schoolbag casually held over her shoulder. Hearing Kuroko's cry, she looked their way.

"Oh, hey girls." Mikoto smiled and went over to their table, then plopped down beside Ruiko. "Man, Matsui-sensei is an evil man. He made us clean the whole classroom before we were allowed to leave today." She sighed and grabbed the menu from the middle of the table. It wasn't big, this being a relatively small café, but it served basic food and desserts that satisfied students looking for something to chew or drink.

"Ooooh, I know all about evil teachers." Ruiko nodded seriously. "Once, there was this girl in my class who did so bad on the gym test that the teacher made us all run fifty laps around the school as punishment!"

"Um, Saten-san, that girl was me." Kazari said weakly. "And it was one lap…"

"No way! I remember –"

Mikoto sighed softly as they bickered, not really seeing what was written on the rectangular menu in her hand. She hadn't been able to sleep until late last night due to a stubborn headache, and school had been unentertaining, to say the least. Being fuzzed over by underclassmen everywhere she went was an everyday occurrence, but sometimes she wished they would leave her alone. She felt like just going to bed already. Not to mention she was still irritated at the episode from last night and the fact that she had let the fool of a guy go. Kuroko had given her an earful about that too.

The mentioned girl sipped on her drink and noticed her onee-sama's tired look. _Maybe if I tire her all out she will be under my power tonight!_ Kuroko's face turned blissful as her fantasy went creative.

"Do you want something, miss?" A waitress stood beside her suddenly, and Mikoto focused on the menu before her.

"Um, yes, I'll have a strawberry milkshake, thank you." She smiled.

"Very well!" Smiling too, the waitress went away.

"Aww, I have a ton of homework!" Ruiko complained and laid her upper body on the table, nearly on top of her empty plate. "I'll fail all my classes for sure."

"That's what you get for waiting with it all until the last day." Kazari said with a lecturing tone.

"Waah, Uiharu, please help meeee." Ruiko's eyes were shimmering, but Kazari promptly turned her head away.

"You have to take responsibility for your own actions!"

"But I'm no good, pleaaaase help me!" She cried exaggeratedly, hopelessly reaching for her friend over the table.

"Misaka-san!" Mikoto jumped at the sudden loud declaration of her name. Kazari gazed at her seriously. "Please tell Saten-san how important it is to work for yourself!"

"Eh…" Mikoto sweat-dropped, trying to find any fitting words. "Um…" Both Kazari and Ruiko were looking at her now, one expectantly, the other half amused, half bored, and she felt cold sweat in her neck. Being the kind of girl who usually just did whatever the teacher required and thought no more of it, what could she possibly say to them?

"Aaah, no good." Kuroko suddenly said, waving a hand dismissively. "Onee-sama might be the ace of Tokiwadai, but she has no sense of structure or for studying at all. Her grades should be mediocre at best –"

"Hey, I might not work like a maniac, but I have a magnetic brain, and my grades are higher than yours!" Mikoto protested. Of course, even with mediocre grades, a Tokiwadai student would be on a whole different level than any average student. Even in middle school they studied topics usually only found in universities. Tokiwadai was openly aiming for the highest possible educational level of their students, and those graduating from the school were known to get the best paid jobs both here and outside the city.

"Even though you might be ranked 8th amongst our students (right now), you cannot deny the fact that it's a sheer miracle, and not the result of good study habits." Kuroko had a high-class-lady-like smirk gracing her lips.

"Like you're any better, you sit up late at night doing homework, complaining how you spent all your time dealing with stuff that's not even in Judgment's jurisdiction instead of studying!" Mikoto accused, sitting back into the sofa and folding her arms over her chest.

Kuroko's face stiffened, and she turned violently towards her roommate, hissing like a snake. "You should know I have top grades in my class, and by all means, _onee-sama_, you should not speak so loudly about dealing with things outside your jurisdiction, with the way you harass people!"

"I don't harass people; I only defend myself!" Mikoto protested, red-faced. "It's not my fault this city is full of braincases who can't take a hint! Besides, at least I don't hang them up on the wall and leave them to their own fate – "

"No, you only leave them _scorched_ in the street!" Kuroko shrieked. "Even a mediocre graded student should realize that electrifying people is _dangerous_!"

Mikoto stood up and smacked her hands on the table. "Of course I know that – I'm not the one getting notices from the teacher about missed study deadlines you know! And my grades are _not _mediocre!"

"That's because I have to spend time on helping you avoid failing class!" Kuroko snapped, face arrogant. "It is quite disgraceful of yourself to come begging me to help tutor you, even though you're a grade above me!"

Mikoto spluttered, turning even redder. "That is not true – it happened only once!"

"Even if it happened only once, it still happened!"

"Eeeeh…" Kazari smiled nervously. She was trying to become as small as possible beside Kuroko, very aware of the angry glares from the other customers in the café.

"Then, Shirai-san, could you help me?" Ruiko asked, trying to keep the peace lasting while it was still there.

Remembering what they were talking about in the first place, Mikoto huffed and sat back down, crossing her arms in resignation. She had no desire to tutor anyone in study strategies anyway.

Kuroko smiled triumphantly. "Indeed, I can give you some good advice…"

"Um, miss, here's your milkshake…" the waitress put it down on the table, and Mikoto grabbed it and took a sip. She looked at the other tables in the room, and noticed people still watching them, however they hurriedly diverted their gazes when she looked at them.

"Hmph." She finished her milkshake in one long gulp worthy of an Olympic record, and stood up, putting the cup on the table with unnecessary force and breathing heavily. The other girls looked at her, maybe expecting some kind of performance, or a new round of insults.

"Where are you going, onee-sama?"

Grabbing her bag, she turned away from the table while saying; "I'm going to let off some steam."

Kuroko's face turned into something between despair and worry. "Um… in just what way were you planning to do that?" She asked, trying to sound neutral.

Mikoto looked back at her over her shoulder. "The arcade." She said, and winked. "Wanna come?" Kuroko's cheeks flushed pink by the wink directed at her, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened, while Kazari suddenly stood up.

"Yes, we will!" Clenching her fist, the flowery girl seemed deeply serious. Ruiko snickered at her.

"What's up with you, suddenly going all military?"

Declaring as though it was some proclamation from the government of a country who had just broken free from two hundred years of slavery, Kazari said: "I have to get high score on three more games!"

"Haaaah?" Ruiko gave her a scrutinizing glance like she was studying the girl for abnormalities, then sighed and stood up as well, flicking back her long, black hair with a smile. "Ah, well, I guess I'll come too, then."

"Okay!" Mikoto grinned, leading the way towards the door. The other two girls grabbed their school bags and followed eagerly, and Kuroko snapped out of her fantasy-induced state some moments later.

"Wait, onee-sama!" She grabbed her own bag and headed for the door.

"Hold it!" A roaring voice erupted behind her, and she eep'ed and turned around stiffly. A huge, threatening waitress towered above her, hand outstretched and eyes glinting with fire. "Pay up, please." She boomed, and Kuroko wanted to slap someone hard in the face. _Even leaving me to pay the bill! _Grudgingly, the rich Tokiwadai student pulled out her credit card.

* * *

Next time: "You… _bitch_!"

Thanks to those who have reviewed and favorited and so on so far! I dunno how popular Index/Railgun fan fics are at this point, so I'm figuring any response is a good sign =P  
As long as someone is enjoying the words I randomly strung together, I'm satisfied.  
And if for some reason you _don't_ enjoy it, feel free to tell me why! That's the only way to improve, after all =)


	6. Tuesday, Afternoon

**Tuesday, Afternoon**

'The Traphole' was one of the biggest arcade centers in the seventh district, and today it was as full of people as any other day. Students were chatting, playing and laughing all over the place, and none paid the four girls any attention as they entered, even though Mikoto and Kuroko's uniforms stood out quite sorely.

"How often do you see a Tokiwadai student in a place like this?" Ruiko asked, snickering.

"Eh?" Mikoto looked at her. "I come here almost every week."

"I meant the girly ones…" the dangerous spark emitting from the other girl's head made her jump away. "Euh, I meant, I thought you guys mostly played violins or decorated flowers and stuff! Ha ha!"

Mikoto dropped her shoulders and sighed. "Hai, hai, I know what you mean. Truth is, most of us probably do those things."

"Onee-sama should consider doing them as well, sometimes." Kuroko said all-knowingly from her other side. "As the role model of all young girls in our city, it is your duty to give them proper inspiration."

"Since when did I become a role model for anybody?" Mikoto asked incredulously.

"Aha!" Kazari suddenly exclaimed, pointing accusingly at random into the locals. "That's a game suitable for my bet!" And off she went. Ruiko exclaimed in surprise and followed her, and then they were both gone between the arcade machines and the other students.

"Hm, I think I'll go kick someone's ass in a fighting game." Mikoto said, making her way to another part of the arcade. Kuroko followed, giving her a speech on how young girls shouldn't play those games along the way.

XXX

"Yes!" Kazari pumped her fist in the air as her nickname finally appeared on the top of the list of high scores. "Only two more games to go now!" She looked around for any sign of a game she could possibly win, and Ruiko sighed beside her.

"What the heck are you doing, Uiharu?" She asked. "You got an addiction or something?"

"There was this guy I met while patrolling once," Kazari explained, clenching her fist heroically as she told the story, "he was amazing! Every game he played, he ended up at the top of high score!"

"Um, exactly where were you patrolling? Inside an arcade?" Ruiko's words went unheard as Kazari continued; "And then he said; 'I bet you can't even get to the top of four games.' and laughed at me!"

Ruiko watched her best friend, waiting for more, but apparently, that was it. "So? You're gonna do it for a guy you don't even know the name of?"

"It was a bet, Saten-san!"

Sighing, but knowing defeat when it slapped her in the face, Ruiko looked around the arcade. It was really crowded today, and she couldn't see Misaka-san or Shirai-san. "So, what next?"

"That one!" She pointed at a racing booth, and Ruiko was mildly surprised.

"Do you even know how to play that?"

"Of course!" Kazari was already on her way over to the booth, digging for coins in her pocket. "I have lots of practice from my patrolling you know." _Just what kind of patrolling do you do! _Aghast, Ruiko was glad Shirai-san wasn't here to hear this.

Just as they were right next to the racing booth, a big guy in a black tank top rudely bumped into them. "Aai!" Kazari fell over, while Ruiko barely managed to stay standing. Furiously, she looked at the big brute. "What the heck, watch where you're going!" The moment she said it, she already regretted it. The guy might have ignored them and walked on had she not said anything, but now he stopped, and looked at them. His eyes were small and glaring.

"What did you say?" His booming voice made sweat pour down her neck.

"Eeeh…"

The guy stepped closer, looming above them, and Kazari eep'ed from the floor. Even with his hand in his pockets, he seemed threatening.

"A little girl telling me what to do, eh?" Ruiko noticed two other guys coming up to them, and judging by the grins on their faces, they weren't coming to stop him. "You don't know who I am, eh?" The big, bald guy made an evil grin. Then he straightened.

"Y-you shouldn't try anything!" She blurted out. "I'm warning you, I'll defend myself!" _No, moron, shut up!_ Way to get into even more trouble! Besides, she couldn't actually do anything. Being a level zero, she had absolutely no chance even if he were to be one as well. The guy's face darkened at her words, and he brought his hands up and cracked his knuckles. The girls huddled together, while the other guys laughed.

"Man, you think you're something, girl? Just because you have powers doesn't mean you'll defeat me!"

"I think I would reconsider doing anything to them, if I were you." A refined voice sounded. Ruiko gave a relieved look at the saving angel, being Kuroko with a stern look on her face. The guys turned to look at her as well, and their faces fell.

"What the hell, _another_ kid? What's this, kindergarten day out?"

"I am Shirai Kuroko of the Judgment." She said importantly, and then smiled elegantly. "Pleasure to meet you. Now, did you have a problem?"

The guy, now absolutely enraged, stomped towards the small girl while readying his fist. "You bastards, think you're all high and glory just 'cause you have some weak power to flaunt about, I'll show you a thing or two!" His punch hit nothing but air, and he stumbled in bewilderment. Then he turned around, and saw Kuroko again. "What the…" he grunted. His buddies were gaping at the girl who had seemingly just moved a meter without actually moving at all.

"'What the' indeed." Kuroko said arrogantly. "I am not some 'weak' little girl. Now…"

"You think you're something, eh?" The big guy spat, anger coloring his face. "You don't scare me!" He raised his fist again.

XXX

YOU WIN!

The words filled the screen of the fighting game along with some annoying music, and Mikoto smiled. Stretching her arms above her head contently, she suddenly realized something was missing: The chastising voice of Tokiwadai's morale police. Looking around, she couldn't see her anywhere.

"Kuroko?"

XXX

Kuroko was shaking her head disappointedly while she pulled out her cell phone. "I guess you are not going to say that you are working for the Sniper, are you? Pity."

"Why would I work for someone?" The guy snarled, not exactly looking very threatening while lying on his back, secured to the floor by metal spikes protruding through his clothes. "I've had enough of you power-users, you think you own the city!"

"Yeah!" His buddies agreed. They had not made a move yet; perhaps they were smarter than she'd first thought.

"Whatever you say won't make it better for you -" Kuroko sing-sang, and dialed Anti-Skill.

XXX

Mikoto was looking around for the others when she heard the sounds of the ruckus and followed it. When having pressed herself through the crowd and appearing at the front, she saw what was going on, and stopped at once. Obviously Kuroko were having fun with her needles again. Mikoto gave a crooked grin at the sight of the guy lying on the floor, feeling somewhat sorry for him. He looked like he was the kind who would be ridiculed for getting beaten by a middle school girl, seemingly strong and fearless. It was always amusing how those guys underestimated Kuroko and got severely beaten.

While Kuroko spoke with Anti-Skill, one of the still standing guys looked up to the crowd, and saw a girl he recognized from a picture currently kept in his pocket. His eyes widened, then narrowed with rage and his hands clenched to fists.

"Railgun…" the words were muttered, barely audible, behind the pig-tailed girl.

"What?" Kuroko turned, just in time to see one of the other two guys run past her, straight for Mikoto, who looked up in surprise.

"You… _bitch_!" He was about to punch, and Mikoto let out an electric stream which made him cry out in pain and fall to the floor on all fours. He twitched as the static settled into his body. Those who had stopped to observe the scene backed away in surprise. Kuroko went to arrest the man at once, securing him to the floor like his friend.

"You fucking bitch!" He yelled again at Mikoto, somewhat strained. "My girlfriend is in the hospital because of _you_!" _What?_ Her eyes grew big in shock. People around them were whispering and staring, and Mikoto felt uncomfortable at the looks they were getting, smiling awkwardly to the on-lookers as she rubbed the back of her head. Someone was in the hospital because of her? Well, she _was _responsible of many people going to the hospital just the other day… but she seemed to remember them all being guys. Or – the thought iced her insides and made her stomach feel like a coil of rope – did someone get injured during last night's fight? But surely she would have noticed… she suddenly felt sick.

Kazari arrested the last man; he was cuffed instead of nailed to the floor since he'd given up without fight.

"You are under arrest for assault." Kuroko informed them. "Anti-Skill will be here to pick you up soon." The big guy was growling at them, and the one who had attacked Mikoto looked at her again, and she felt a pang in her abdomen at the rage in those eyes. "It's all your fault." He spat. "Your damn goons…"

"My what?" She thought she heard him wrong.

"Don't play dumb!" The man shouted and fidgeted in his entrapment. If not for Kuroko's needles holding him down, he would most likely have tried to attack her again. "You're Railgun, aren't you! Your goons came to our place last night and beat the crap out of my girlfriend! Don't try to deny it!" He turned his head and spat on the floor. "This is why I hate you ability users. You think you fucking own the city!"

Mikoto simply stared at him, petrified by his words. Her goons? She had no such thing; her friends where standing in this arcade right now, and none of them would attack anyone without good cause, and besides, judging from the looks of these guys, the only one having a chance against them anyway would be Kuroko.

"Enough." Mentioned girl said sternly, putting her hands on her hips and staring down at the man furiously. "You will have plenty of time to explain yourself to the Anti-Skill."

"You guys are no good." He muttered, rage lacing every word. "How can you call yourself 'Judgment' while standing beside a monster like that?"

Being referred to as a monster pricked Mikoto the wrong way today. "Don't come here and accuse me for something I've never done!"

The man gave a short, bitter laugh at her protest. "Of course you'd say that!" He yelled. "Me revealing your inhuman actions isn't good for your image, right?" Kuroko felt her heart rise to her throat, knowing he was entering dangerous grounds. His voice grew louder and louder for every word: "If you're really a level five, why hide yourself behind other people like a coward? Living your fucking rich life with no worries, harassing others, using us to do your dirty work –" Mikoto's features hardened with anger while her mind raced through ten different ways of shutting the guy up, "– you're just a damn small kid! You didn't do shit to earn everything you've got! You were just born into luxury and know nothing of hard work like us commoners do!"

His outrage was met with complete silence. The whole Arcade seemed to have stopped, and everyone's eyes were watching the man lying captured on the floor, and Mikoto standing by his head. Her whole body was shaking, her fists clenched, and teeth gritted as she stared at the floor without seeing it, focusing on controlling her accelerated breath. She knew she had to rein it in: For once, she knew that exploding and taking her rage out on the man before her would not solve the problem, or rather would only create more of them. It felt like white, hot liquid ran through her veins, and a small spark of electricity escaped her clutch and crackled from her head. Kuroko was stiff with terror, unable to move at all as she stared at her upperclassman, knowing just how little restraint the other usually had on her anger, and expecting an explosion any moment.

Mikoto grinded her teeth against each other, trying to release the tension in her body through sheer will. Then her mouth formed a lopsided smile, and she laughed, a short 'heh'. She felt warm all over, but no-one could possibly see what kind of emotions she dealt with on the inside as she straightened and flicked her hair over her shoulder. Kuroko certainly didn't believe her eyes. She had been preparing for the worst; but now Mikoto completely changed, her eyes losing the enraged look, and her stance relaxed, yet arrogant, as she put one hand on her hip and looked at the guy on the floor. Drawing a deep breath and closing her eyes, she seemed to have calmed down. Then:

"What the hell kind of thing is that to say to a girl?" Yelling, she pointed accusingly at the man. Kuroko gave a relieved sigh. "You suddenly attack me and call me a monster, and then you try to make _me _look like the bad guy?" Mikoto refused to remember the other things he had said in case she snapped completely and fried him anyway. "I'm sorry for you girlfriend, but I had nothing to do with it, and the way you're acting, I'm surprised you even have one! Aren't you supposed to protect her? If anything, I'd say you've failed horribly at being a boyfriend! Hmph." She turned her head away, putting her hand back on her hip. The guy's face had reddened with anger again, but having already used his whole arsenal of insults, he stayed quiet. The room seemed to loosen up. Some people turned away now that another fight seemed out of the question. Kuroko felt her chest bloom with pride at the way her onee-sama had handled the situation, and turned towards the voices of two Anti-Skill members who were making their way through the arcade. Mikoto looked at the ceiling, feeling her racing heart slowly calm down, and took a deep breath. Somehow she felt dissatisfied, but at least she hadn't done something irresponsible.

"Misaka-san…" the quiet voice of Kazari made her turn, and she smiled at the worried face of the other girl.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and both Kazari and Ruiko nodded. Mikoto's smile softened, but her eyes seemed dull. "Good." Having a pressing feeling of needing to be alone, Mikoto moved past the girls, saying: "Sorry." Continuing on past Kuroko, who threw her a concerned look, and ignoring the Anti-Skill members, she went straight for the main entrance. Her head was throbbing, another headache on its way, she guessed.

She went outside and stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the sunny sky. Her heart was still beating fast, and her breathing felt somehow constricted. She wanted to scream and shout and throw railguns all over the place. It made her both mad and upset when people thought she was a good-for-nothing, spoiled brat. As if they knew her! Still, it was his reason for assaulting her in the first place that had made her reign herself in; attacking a desperate man in a situation like that didn't seem like a good idea, and would truly justify him calling her a monster and what-not. Clenching her school bag tightly and quickly brushing away treacherous tears from her eyes, she turned and walked on down the street.

XXX

Kuroko watched as the two Anti-Skill members cuffed the guys up, and her eyes met with the big man's. He glared at her, and she stared coldly back at him. She felt compelled to say something to the men who very nearly had gotten themselves seriously hurt.

"Did you know," she started with a smile, "that Tokiwadai's Railgun started as a level one?"

His eyes widened for a moment before he sneered. "That doesn't justify her actions." He said. Kuroko continued to smile, even though it sickened her. Of course what she really wanted to say to him wouldn't do well for a young lady of Tokiwadai, and would have to be written down and sent in an anonymous letter.

"Thank you, Shirai-san." One of the Anti-Skill members said as they prepared to move the men away. "We might send for you later for some explanations, but for now you may go."

"Thank you, yourself." She said, bowing. "You came in the nick of time." Literally. She didn't want to imagine what could have happened if the situation were prolonged and the guy had started spewing more insults. As she watched the guys being led away, to the curious stares of others in the arcade, she still felt the cold sweat in her neck. She trusted Mikoto to not act like a crazy lunatic, but even her onee-sama must have some sort of limit. Luckily, it hadn't been reached today.

"Ah." She sighed, rubbed her neck, and turned towards her two friends, who were watching the guys being taken away. "Are you two okay?" They looked at her, and Ruiko nodded.

"He was _so_ rude!" Kazari exclaimed irritated.

"I'm amazed onee-sama didn't fry the whole place." Kuroko muttered, expression strained, and put her hand to her chin. "Still, someone attacked those men using the name Railgun? Would that mean there aren't only people working for Sniper roaming about, or are they the same people?" It wasn't really a question meant to be answered here and now, and neither Kazari nor Ruiko had an answer anyway, looking at each other questioningly. Kuroko hmm'ed. If what those guys said were true, to the general public it would seem like some sort of conflict between the two level fives were being taken out on them. Situations like this one could easily pop up again.

"Uiharu."

"Hai!" The flowery girl stood straight and saluted.

Kuroko turned towards the entrance. "We're going to headquarters."

"Hai!"

"Are you sure you want to leave your _patrolling_ unfinished?" Ruiko smirked, and Kazari's face stiffened, red with embarrassment. Luckily, Kuroko didn't hear.

XXX

Mikoto kept her gaze directed at the ground in front of her while she walked past the seventh district plaza, and didn't even look up when someone bumped into her. She was feeling apathetic. Knowing that someone was out there hurting people in her name wasn't exactly a thrilling thought, and she didn't know what to do about it either… not like she could fry anyone looking suspicious. Besides, this made no sense. The guy she fought yesterday claimed to be working for the Sniper, and now some thugs had claimed to be working for her? Why would anyone do that? _It pisses me off to not know!_ She clenched her fists. More than anything, she felt _really_ tense. And she had gone to the arcade to get rid of that tense feeling in the first place! What a shitty day!

XXX

Kamijou Touma was having an awful day as usual. First, his breakfast this morning was burned, and tasted like old socks at best. Then he tripped on his way out the door and hit the railing outside, sporting a black mark on his hip as proof. At school he had forgotten all about their test in AIM fields, and failed miserably. Then having walked an extra long way home from school to get his favorite dinner, it turned out the store that sold it had closed down without notice. He sighed heavily and rumpled his spiky black hair.

"Such misfortune." He sighed, then stopped and stretched his arms, trying to cheer himself up. "At least it can't get any worse!"

* * *

Does this even count as a cliffhanger? ^_^;

Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter!  
About Mikoto's grades: I haven't read the book where it's mentioned (is it number 8 perhaps?), and Wikipedia said nothing on the topic so I thought maybe it wasn't mentioned anywhere. But I stumbled upon a wiki site on the To Aru universe after I posted the last chapter, and I read there that she's ranked 8th in Tokiwadai. I did imagine her to be quite smart (I mean, she _is_, really, and the comment from Kuroko was supposed to be ironic, but I guess I didn't really agree with myself when I wrote it and thus it became the "truth").  
I've edited the last chapter a bit to weave this bit of fact (hopefully) seamlessly into the story. Normally I wouldn't do that, but facts like this are quite easy to incorporate, so here's hoping I haven't missed anything major! (In that case I'll counter with "this is a fan fic, after all!" =P)  
In short: Yes, Mikoto IS smart, and she IS ranked 8th in Tokiwadai, even in this fan fic.

Now I'm getting really anxious about the upcoming chapters... This and the next few ones are probably the ones I feel most conflicted about, so I'm waiting in horror for what you readers think (haha =P). Hope you enjoyed it though!


	7. Tuesday, Late afternoon

**Tuesday, Late afternoon**

"Oh…"

Someone was uttering this small word which was not really a word, and Touma turned his head slowly, grimacing… and saw _her_. The small hairclip in her hair, brown eyes watching him soberly, schoolbag held in front of her body with both of her hands; the very picture of an innocent young Tokiwadai student.

"B-Biri-Biri…" he stuttered. He knew this girl's real personality; many young men were fooled by her pretty outward appearance, but he was not one of them anymore! Ever since their first meeting (at least according to his current memories) by the vending machine that ate his money and revealed her shorts-wearing habits, he'd been continuously running into her, and every single time it ended in violence and tears. This girl had no qualms about launching killer attacks at a guy ranked as level zero, and he prepared himself mentally for such a scenario.

She was clearly analyzing him, and then suddenly, smiled. It was brilliant, blinding him effectively, and he shielded his face with his hand as if it was the blast of a hand grenade.

"You…" she said, her voice bright while her hair fluttered from the electricity flowing around her, giving a very contradictive picture, "…really need to…" lightning crackled dangerously from her body, and Touma eep'ed and started backing away, "… _LEARN MY NAME!_" Her angry shout bore all the way down the street, and the electricity running along the ground short-circuited the vending machines beside them and made the nearest streetlight explode. Students nearby shielded their heads and shrieked in terror.

Touma turned and ran, shouting: "You're crazy!"

"Don't say that to a girl, you unfeeling imbecile! Fight me!"

"Uwaah!" He didn't slow down, and with an angry shout of "Wait!", she followed.

Touma didn't dare to stop and look behind him as he pressed his legs to run, taking deep gulps of air. What did he ever do to deserve this? Being used as a punching bag by the city's various top level esp'ers (and others) seemed to come naturally to him, even though he never asked for this ability at all!

He narrowly escaped a lightning bolt as he sharply turned into an alleyway, the electric charge exploding into the wall behind him. He could negate her attacks, of course, but he didn't want an endless fight; also, he didn't want to risk being labeled an accomplice when someone came to check why the vending machines were howling their alarms. It's always better to run away!

He winced as yet another attack narrowly missed him and shrapnel exploded from the building he just passed. What if one of those things hit his head? The thought made him cry out ("Such misfortune!") and turn around just before a T-junction, raising his right hand in front of him in a defensive stance. Mikoto stopped as she saw him standing there, and smiled grimly while breathing heavily.

"So you finally gave up on escaping." She said, straightening up, an electrical charge crackling from her bangs. Touma kept his mouth shut, watching the level five's every move, bracing himself. He never really knew where he had her; one day she'd be gentle as a kitten, and the next, set bent on eradicating him from the face of Earth.

Swallowing slowly, he watched as she crouched like a tiger, electric charges emitting from her body. Her smile wasn't one of happiness; it left her eyes untouched, and reminded Touma more of the grin a lioness would show her prey before biting its head off.

"I've had a really bad day," she said, "and you're the perfect target for getting rid of some stress!"

_I've had a bad day too, but you don't see me attacking innocent bystanders on the street!_ Touma's silent protest went unheard. The lightning strike hit him head on, and he gritted his teeth as he stood his ground, even as the force was trying to push him over. His Imagine Breaker that could dispel any kind of supernatural force, even his own luck, were his only means of survival in this city where esp'ers crowded every street, and he hoped it wouldn't fail him this time either.

The lightning dissipated after a couple of grueling long seconds, not even one volt having hit its intended target. He released a deep breath and twitched his fingers, sweat pouring down his face.

"You're as annoying as ever…" the girl in front of him was shimmering with electricity, her face very threatening and not happy looking at all, and he took a step backwards. Somehow, Mikoto seemed even more unstable than usual today. "Well then, have _this_!" She launched another attack; this one went upwards, split into several spears of deadly lightning, and crashed down on his head like spikes – only he'd raised his hand up, and the electricity exploded to all sides with a deafening roar. Clenching his teeth at the force pushing against his hand, Touma wondered whether today would be the day when he would actually have to beat this girl to her senses – and he'd rather not. Even if his main interest should be to stay alive at any cost, his deep sense of justice prohibited him from hurting innocent girls. Though, _innocent_ was probably not the word most people thought of when they saw this girl throw killer strikes at a helpless guy in a back alley. Only this crazy girl would thoughtlessly use those kinds of attacks at a person labeled as ability less, no matter if he was seen as such just because Academy City's testing equipment hadn't been able to measure his ability at all.

Finally the electric charge ended, sparks of electricity travelling up the blackened walls around them, and both teenagers breathed heavily, eyeing each other.

Not wanting to take another attack, Touma waved his hands in front of him and said: "Wait, Bi –" he cut himself off, realizing he probably wouldn't make it better by using her nick-name. "Um, Misaka?"

As if something caught in her throat, Mikoto's breath hitched, and her face suddenly felt awkwardly warm. "W-what?"

Touma, not knowing what else to say, decided to let his fantasy flow freely, and said the first thing to enter his mind: "Do you want to talk about it?"

He wanted to kick himself.

"Talk about what?" She asked suspiciously

"Um…" he sweated, but knew he had to keep it up now. Suddenly changing the subject would most likely result in her getting irritated and attack him again. He thought back to what she had been saying earlier. "You have a bad day?"

Mouth almost snarling, Mikoto reddened and lowered her head menacingly. "I-I don't need you to be my psychiatrist or anything, idiot!"

Sensing imminent danger, Touma waved his hands in front of him again and smiled stupidly. "No, no, I meant, maybe it would help to brainstorm about your problems with a complete stranger! Eheheh…"

Mikoto, still red-faced and teeth gritted, seemed to be at the verge of attacking him again, but then suddenly her expression turned thoughtful. Surprisingly for Touma, the girl straightened, and looked at him soberly, seemingly thinking about his proposal.

"… Okay." She said. Touma couldn't believe his own luck, and then realized this probably wasn't good, and therefore would not qualify as luck. Most likely, he would now have to function as a love advisor for this heartbroken teenage girl. Aaah, so unlucky! And by the way, standing in a dirty, dark back alley with a younger girl talking about love didn't seem right. _You could choose the location a bit more accordingly! _

"Don't ask me to talk to you and then look like the world has fallen apart!" She bit at him from several meters away, face red. "Just answer this! Though I doubt you can." She crossed her arms and looked at the wall beside her, "If someone were attacking and hurting people, claiming they were doing it in your name, what would you do?"

"Eh?" Giving her a surprised look, he had to process the question. Definitely not what he had expected. Wait, since she was asking, did that mean someone were doing that to her? Man, you'd really need to have guts or no brains to be stupid enough to pull that off; he pitied the fool who would probably hurt a lot more than he did, unless it was someone with the same kind of ability as his Imagine Breaker, and he doubted that. Rather, it sounded like someone so stupid couldn't even exist, and so he wondered if he had understood the question correctly. It was a rhetorical question, right?

Mikoto watched him expectantly while his mind ran amok with silly thoughts.

"Well…" rubbing the back of his head, he said the first thing to fall into his mind: "I guess I would give them a real good piece of my mind about that, and if they didn't listen, I'd kick their ass!" Then he laughed awkwardly. The girl watched him quietly, and he sweat-dropped, wondering if he'd misunderstood her after all.

Then she lifted her schoolbag and slung it over her shoulder, holding it in a way that only guys should.

"What kind of advice is that to give a girl, jeez." She looked at the black marks on the building beside them. Touma somehow figured that wasn't really a question.

"Um," he started, while thinking he once again was pressing his luck, "why would you ask something strange like that?"

"If you think it's strange, why did you answer?" Her retort was instantaneous.

"Eh…" He rubbed the back of his head again, smiling awkwardly.

"Well, anyway, thanks." She walked towards him, head held high. "You helped me get rid of some stress at least." Touma hurriedly stepped aside as she passed him, and she stopped, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Sweating, he kept his right hand in front of his chest, ready to defend himself should it be necessary.

"Hm." She grinned mischievously, and Touma eep'ed again.

"Hey!" Someone yelled from the direction they had come; it was a lone guy with a high school uniform and a green armband around his right arm. "This is Judgment! I saw –"

"Haah." The middle school girl sighed deeply. Then she suddenly ran, heading for the next back alley. Touma, looking from the Judgment member to the back of the younger girl, decided to scram as well, and the dedicated Judgment member followed, yelling angrily.

XXX

Kuroko was close to teleporting the whole computer out the window and watch it drop to its death, but Kazari's approach from behind made her simply frown instead.

"Have you found anything?" The longhaired girl asked without turning around.

Kazari smiled uncertainly at the cold tone. "I sent out an inquiry email to all branches, and got response from branch 150 through 158," she said, right to the point. "Apparently, they have all been receiving reports of ability users attacking people since yesterday. Most of the branches have only had one or two reports, but some, um, branch 153 and 154 I think, have been receiving several, like us."

"And?" Kuroko was being harsh, but she was stressed, and the fact that she was out of ideas made her irritable.

"In every case the victims and witnesses says the attackers claimed they were doing it for the Railgun. None of the perpetrators have been arrested yet, so we don't know if this is for sure. Also, including us, branches 171 through 178 have reported assaults where the perpetrators claim to be doing it for the Sniper. There have been no arrests here either." Kazari sounded serious, and as she ended her report, Kuroko sat staring at her computer screen, not seeing it, thinking.

"Branch 150 through 158." She crossed her arms. "That's in district 15. There were no reports from any of the other branches?"

Kazari shook her head. "No, only those."

So the attacks were limited to districts 7 and 15. Why so far apart, and why only one name in each? Kuroko suddenly leaned forward to her laptop again, her spirit recharged.

"Uiharu, find out where the Sniper is living." Eyes growing big, Kazari let out a 'hai!' and hurried to her own computer. Kuroko frowned again, feeling like she was somehow grasping at straws, but still, maybe there was something to it…

XXX

For some reason, Mikoto found herself in an unfamiliar street with no resemblance to her usual hangout-spots whatsoever. Having ran for a good five minutes after the encounter with the S.O.B, losing track of him in the meantime and similarly shaking off the dutiful Judgment member, she was now here in this street which she could swear she had never seen before. It was quite a normal street she guessed, but held no interest for her – there seemed to be at least two night clubs nearby, and pubs littered the streets in-between fast food restaurants and kiosks. Some of the windows were covered with spray tagging.

The street was almost deserted, probably because it was only afternoon still, and the clubs and pubs hadn't opened yet. Only a couple of shady looking guys standing by the wall some fifty meters further down the street made the place look living at all. They threw her a glance and quickly disappeared into an alleyway. Briefly imagining Kuroko's expression if she saw her here, Mikoto figured she should backtrack her steps and find a main street. She had calmed down now, taking out her pent-up stress on the dumbass, and felt like having some food. Just as she turned around, however, voices made their way to her ears.

"Yeah, she totally screamed!"

"Those high and mighty Tokiwadai students aren't so tough after all, heh."

The mention of her school made her turn around. The voices seemed to come from an alley between two buildings just a few meters away. Mikoto flattened herself against the wall on the corner of a closed pub in order to listen without being seen.

"Man, but Judgment and Anti-Skill sure have become irritating lately." One of the voices said, sounding mildly amused. "And even worse since yesterday. Maybe we should have just kept on tagging…"

"Well," said the other, lighter voice, "I don't mind the extra risk when we get extra cash. Who'd have imagined we'd ever get paid for beating people up! Hajime sure has it going!" They laughed.

Mikoto felt cold all over as she leaned into the wall, trying to think. The taggers and the attackers were the same people? It sure sounded like that. But why? No, more importantly, what should she do? She should probably call Kuroko (for once considering it before dealing with it herself), but if she called here, they would hear her talk, and if she moved away, they might be gone by the time anyone could get here. Well, she could try to whisper, but there was no guarantee they wouldn't hear her, and would they stand still here until Kuroko or someone else showed up?

So, the only option after all…

"Hey, brat." She turned around at the deep voice, annoyed at the disturbance. A big, burly man came striding towards her, glaring. "This is Sniper's territory; get the hell away from here!"

His words first made her clench her teeth, but keeping herself in check, she forced a smile instead, and her voice was level as she answered. "He's got some big plans or something?"

"What?" The man stood before her, hands on his hips, face grimacing in an angry expression.

"The Sniper." She said, crossing her arms loosely and relaxing against the building. "You guys work for him, right?"

"Eeeh, that you, fatso?" Two other men came from the alley she had been listening in on, hands in their pockets as they sauntered into view. One was long and lanky with long, blonde hair loosely falling around his shoulders, the other had short, black hair and a tattoo resembling spider webs across his face. Seeing her, their faces suddenly sported big grins.

"Hey, man, look! It's another Tokiwadai lady!"

The black-haired guy leaned down to her, his expression scornful, the tattoo quite an eyesore. "Little missy," his raspy voice said, "I wonder if you scream as loud as your fellow rich lady friends…" His breath stunk of alcohol. She stayed calm and didn't answer, though she sure had a thing or two she wanted to tell him.

"You know," said the biggest guy, cracking his knuckles, "for a little lady to come here all by herself, you're simply asking for it."

"Yeah," piped the blonde in. "Didn't you see the neeews? They said little brats shouldn't go out alone nowadays!" The feeling of déjà vu was assaulting her; hadn't she been in a similar situation just the other day? No, rather, didn't she end up in situations like this all the time? She sighed deeply. While she had not watched the news, the teacher _had_ told them to be careful, since one of their students (in addition to her) had been assaulted last night. Seems like she'd found the culprits.

The big guy tch'ed and looked around. Apparently seeing what he wanted, he then grinned at her.

"I don't normally hurt small girls, but with this pay –"

"Let me at her, pleaaase!"

"So Sniper claims this territory, right?" She cut them off, growing tired of waiting for them to get to the point. The guys grinned, and the one who had been leaning down on her, straightened with a snort.

"Damn right he does." He said. "And he's taking shit from nobody, less of all from some little brat with more money than brains!" He laughed.

Sighing again, though feeling immune to his insults after the tirade she'd been served earlier, Mikoto stood up straight. "Then I'll have to inform him…" she opened one hand and let the electric currents play over her palm. "…that this territory is already claimed."

"What the hell!" They seemed amused, annoyed and unsure at the same time. Somehow Tokiwadai and electricity didn't ring well in their minds, but they were too agitated to care. "You little brat, even a level three won't be able to take on three level two's at once!"

The "ZAP" that resounded down the street weren't really astounding, but the result was still effective. Both the big, burly guy and the blonde-haired man fell over, clothes smoking, groaning in their unconsciousness. The guy with the tattoo was still standing, mouth agape, as he watched the middle school girl in terror. Mikoto tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked at him uninterestedly, making him flinch. He had avoided the attack by pulling back instead of charging in when he saw it coming. But he wasn't stupid enough to try and take her on by himself. Of course, Mikoto had missed him on purpose.

"I'll let you go for one reason." She said, eying him in contempt. "Tell mister Sniper that this 'territory' isn't his to claim. It already belongs to the Railgun."

"Sh- sh- shit!" Losing all color in his face, he ran. She watched him until he turned a corner further down the street, and sighed. Now what to do about the guys lying by her feet? As she was scratching her head in annoyance, a new voice shrieked:

"Aha, there you are!"

* * *

Note: I watched the first episode of Index without knowing _anything at all_ about the series (random download ftw). When Mikoto showed up and fired her railgun, I was all "WTF! She _has_ to be a badass!" And an extremely cool one at that. Turned out she _wasn't_, of course (omg spoiler), but she still stuck to me as the most awesome character in the show throughout the whole series.

I'm a sucker for this kind of powerful girls, kay?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Tuesday, Evening

**Tuesday, Evening**

"Shirai-san!" Kazari's cry made Kuroko jump in her seat. An instant later she was standing beside the other girl, watching her computer screens. The girl with a flowery headband that made her head look like a spring field proceeded to say: "The Sniper, or rather Origawa Kamasuki, has an address right in the middle of 15th district." Clicking the map on one of the screens, she zoomed in on the area where a red dot marked his apartment.

"Excellent!" Kuroko said, feeling confident. "Even though Sniper is not attending school right now, being old enough to go to college, he is most likely still living in one place like normal people."

"And district 15 is where culprits are claiming to be working for Misaka-san." Kazari agreed.

"That, combined with the fact that it is only in seventh district that they are claiming to work for the Sniper…" Konori suddenly appeared beside them, holding a steaming cup in one hand.

Kuroko put a hand on her chin while closing her eyes, thinking. "Someone is trying to… set them up against each other?" Saying it out loud made her realize how unrealistic that sounded. The conclusion was confusing, to say the least. She frowned. "Of course that is neglecting the possibility that it is a coincidence they are using the names in those districts, or that there may be cases that haven't been reported in other districts… still, how likely is that… ugh…"

Konori slurped from her drink while she listened to Kuroko, who was pressing her thumb into her chin.

Kazari was already typing on her keyboard again. "I will do a more thorough search in our database, but it may take some time."

"Still, if we assume they are trying to set them up against each other, what is the purpose?" Kuroko grumbled, staring at the ceiling as if it would miraculously open and drop the answer in her face. The other two occupants of the room didn't answer her question, and silence stretched around them for some seconds. Then an unfamiliar sound suddenly filled the space, interrupting the brainstorming. It sounded like the soft moaning from a girl, unspeakable deeds unfolding in a secret location, and Kazari turned beet red at the sound, while Konori stopped the motion of drinking from her cup. Kuroko pulled out her cell phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Shirai-san!" Sounding as if he was out of breath, she recognized the voice of a member of 176th branch, Akimoto. "Hai, Akimoto-san, what is the matter?" She said, moving to sit at her desk, while Kazari tried overcoming the shock of Kuroko's ringtone.

"You wanted me to report all attacks to you, right?" Akimoto was heaving for breath. "Well, there just were two attacks done by the same perpetrator!"

"What!" Her fist banged against the table, making Kazari jump and Konori turn around to watch her. "Where, when, who do they claim to work for?" If they could get their hands on some perpetrators she would make them talk (even though Anti-Skill were the ones doing the questionings)…

"Um…" His unsure tone was interrupted by a familiar voice: "Hey, I told you, forget the fight with that idiot and arrest these guys!" This voice that was entering their conversation in the background made Kuroko want to bang her head against the table instead of only her fist. She listened while the two people in the other end entered a match of incomprehensible words, and then suddenly, the phone appeared to switch hands, by the sound of it.

"Kuroko?" Mikoto's voice entered her ear.

"Onee-sama." Kuroko was feeling dead inside, and her face mirrored it. "Did you take out your pent-up stress on some poor thugs?" Considering the state her onee-sama left the arcade in earlier today, she really hoped it was just thugs and not innocent students. _Please let the asphalt be okay, at least._

"Hey!" Not really sounding insulted, the other girl protested; "I was just apprehending some of Sniper's henchmen, when your underling here came in and tried to arrest _me_!" Akimoto's weak 'I am not an underling!' went unnoticed as she continued: "There were two guys talking about how they had been tagging and attacking students. Then a third guy showed up and decided to be difficult, so I took care of them." Kuroko lay face flat on her desk as she listened to the explanation of her upperclassman, feeling like she needed a big glass of cognac. "And they did say that Sniper is claiming this territory." Mikoto ended her talk. Silence filled the phone for some seconds. "Kuroko? You alive?"

"Yes, onee-sama." She gave a weak sigh. "Please stop taking care of thugs… eh." There was no point telling her, and right now, she had no energy to spend on it.

"Eh? You don't sound well, Kuroko. Did you contract cystic fibrosis?"

"That is a hereditary disease, onee-sama. Anyway, please put Akimoto-san back."

Rustling was heard, the phone switching owners again. "Shirai-san!" Akimoto's desperate cry made her grimace, a headache slowly forming behind her temples.

"Akimoto-san, contact Anti-Skill and have them apprehend the men, ask for a report of their questioning to be sent to us. Then bring Misaka-sama to 177th branch headquarters, please."

"But she…"

"Do it!" Hanging up, Kuroko sighed deeply. She noticed the other two occupants of the room watching her, and straightened in her chair. "Onee-sama took care of some thugs again. Of course, they did attack her first, and they claimed to be working for the Sniper."

Kazari's face got a sort of pitying expression, a painful grin sporting her face. "They didn't know who she is, hee?"

"Most likely not." Sighing, she looked out the window at the reddening skies. "Poor bastards."

Calmly sipping her drink, Konori watched her junior Judgment member pointedly. "I'm impressed at how you so casually command the other branches around."

"Dealing with their poor management seems to be my fate." Kuroko sighed heroically.

XXX

Close to an hour later, two people entered their office. The sky was slowly darkening, and curfew was looming in the near distance. Kazari was yawning, sitting in her chair like a balloon out of air. When the door opened, a red-faced Akimoto entered, and commanded Mikoto inside, who followed with a somewhat irritated look on her face, but she forced a grin to appear as she entered the room.

"Shirai-san!" He barked. The guy was older than them all, but being less experienced made him feel inadequate when facing Kuroko. And now he was stressed. "You have any idea what kind of mess you got me in!" Kuroko turned in her seat and watched him like a teacher readying herself to lecture one of her less intelligent students. He continued: "You asked me to arrest those guys who were lying unconscious on the street, while this –" an accusing finger pointed at Mikoto, "_hooligan_ whom I saw attacking a helpless boy, as well as being responsible for those two men being injured, is merely allowed to go! Even Anti-Skill had difficulty understanding me!"

His breath heaving, he glared at the younger girl in front of him. Mikoto's eyebrow twitched; she opposed the idea of that dumbass being a helpless boy.

"I understand your misery, Akimoto-san," Kuroko said, not sounding understanding at all, "but Misaka-sama is _my_ responsibility." Mikoto sweat-dropped at her statement. Akimoto huffed and looked at the other Judgment girls in search for help, but they were strategically avoiding looking their way. Furiously stomping to the door, he shot a death glare at Mikoto, who gave him an apologizing grin, and then he was gone.

"Alright, so, let's go home." Mikoto cheerfully suggested, perhaps hoping that everything was forgotten in the span of a few seconds. Kuroko's sudden dark medusa look, her pigtails roaring like snakes, said otherwise, and made her break out in sweat.

"Oneee-sama." Her voice was that of a death god coming for its revenge, chilling everyone's spines.

A few minutes later, Mikoto had told them all that had happened, and the other girls were sporting different looks after hearing her full explanation. Konori looked sharp, as always, calmly sipping her coffee. Kazari seemed pale and stiff with an awkward smile on her face, and Kuroko's face was that of a terrified demon.

Puzzled by the silence, Mikoto continued to smile, although feeling the tension in the room.

"You told them this territory is already claimed by the Railgun?" Konori was the only one of the three still able to talk. Her voice was hard to analyze, but if you knew her well, you would probably detect a hint of amusement.

"Well, that didn't exactly sound innocent." She admitted thoughtfully, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "But it should scare them away, right? I mean, you know I didn't mean it!" She laughed.

"Eeeh…" Kazari was still smiling, though it seemed very forced.

And then something exploded; like flames erupting from a volcano, the only longhaired girl in the room suddenly stood, finger pointing accusingly at Mikoto, as the voice of Kuroko roared: "YOU DUMBASS!"

Her outrage was followed by complete silence, save for Kuroko's heavy breathing. Mikoto still smiled, but the realization that she had probably done something stupid was seeping into her, and made it seem forced. But she couldn't find any words to say, and Kuroko continued after catching her breath for some seconds:

"You attacked some guy on the street, then ran off into one of the most dirty corners of seventh district where young girls should never be, then decided to deal with some thugs, and let one of them go…" as her crimes were being summarized, Mikoto felt more and more like disappearing into a crack in the floor, "… and then you even go and _play right into their hands!_"

"Eh?" She hardly processed the words, all her survival instincts on high alert as Kuroko tried to kill her with her stare, but the last statement made her sober.

The smaller girl smashed both of her palms onto the desk, and though she was still furious, her face was not as scary when she looked up again.

"Onee-sama, these thugs are not necessarily working for the Sniper. Have you forgotten that they have been using your name too?" Her voice was that of a mother explaining her child why eating dirt was not such a good idea.

The entire world grinded to a halt. Her face stiffened, and no more answer was needed.

"Really." Kuroko sighed and put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head dejectedly.

Mikoto felt distressed while staring unseeingly at the floor, face sporting a serious expression. She had threatened the Sniper in her own person. Who would that guy report it to? Did they even have connections to the Sniper? Even if the Sniper wasn't behind this, could her message end up with him, twisted and formed, and then… No, it didn't matter if it reached the Sniper or not. This could spread throughout 7th district and do enough damage alone.

"Let's think about this." Konori said, diverting everyone's attention to herself. Konori put her cup down on the desk and folded her arms. "First, we have to establish that as of now, there is no connection between the taggers and the attackers other than that those guys seem to have been paid for doing both. Then, we have some facts. We don't know if these thugs are truly working for the Sniper or not." She looked at Mikoto. "But we do know that those who are claiming to work for Misaka-san are lying. So the first guess is that someone, somewhere, has a grudge against either one of you and wants to set you up for a conflict."

"That sounds pretty bad to me…" Kazari said uncertainly.

"Let's assume this: These thugs truly are working for the Sniper." The older student pushed her glasses up her nose. "Let's say he has a force of comrades following his every whim. He might have some friends with money, or maybe he is rich himself. He could be offering rewards to people for spreading his name. But in that case, he would have a motive. The Sniper is not known to like publicity. _Why_ would he go to such lengths? What is his motive?"

The girls started thinking, complete silence filling the room for a minute.

"The only thing I can think of as a reason is grudge." Kuroko said at last.

"I was thinking maybe he wants to put Misaka-san in a bad light, but I guess that goes for grudge…" Kazari said.

"Still, if he only wanted to do that, shouldn't he have _all_ his thugs say they were doing it in her name?" Kuroko added. "It seems highly ineffective of him to be smearing his own name with filth as well… and as for spreading his own name, it wouldn't make sense to only do that _here_, and then spread onee-sama's name in his own district."

"It does make more sense if he isn't behind it." Mikoto said thoughtfully. "But in that case, who is?"

Konori pushed her glasses up her nose again. "Let's think differently. The thugs do not work for Sniper. Someone is spreading his name here, and Misaka-san's name there, and what would the purpose of that be?" Frowning, Mikoto tried making sense in her head. If they were actually attacking people she knew, or even only Tokiwadai students, it'd be more obvious, but they seemed to attack every person within reach, randomly. Like that William guy… her hands clenched in her lap.

Kazari spoke up first: "Assuming they've chosen the locations based on where Misaka-san and Sniper is living… You mean someone is trying to set them up against each other, after all?"

"Eh?" Mikoto looked at her, bewildered. "Why would anyone think that would work?"

"Besides, if what's known about the Sniper is correct, he would not care about someone attacking people around him in someone's name." Kuroko said. "Though the thugs may think otherwise, this city is _not_ divided in territories between the level fives."

"Ah," Kazari said, suddenly having an idea, "what if the ones who are behind it _think_ it's like that?"

Mikoto sighed at the idea of someone being stupid enough to actually think that.

Kuroko thought for some seconds, then said: "Though the idea is ridiculous, seeing how onee-sama is ranked third and Sniper sixth, could someone be hoping that by setting them up against each other, onee-sama would take out Sniper?"

"That does sound like a plausible explanation." Konori said thoughtfully. "So we're dealing with someone who probably has a grudge against Sniper, and doesn't seem to know much about level fives in general except what is commonly known; since they have chosen to use Misaka-san, they probably know Accelerator and Teitoku are out of the question. They would either not care, or take them out as well."

Hearing her words didn't make Mikoto feel any better; rather they just tore her mood down further. Did someone really think that she would 'take out' someone just because of this? One thing was declaring this territory for being already claimed; she wasn't serious about that. Sure, she lived in seventh district, but she did in no way, shape or form imagine that it was her 'territory'. The thought was ridiculous. She would never do anything like attacking someone because of this, except the real perpetrators of course, and Sniper wouldn't care; in other words, the plan were bound to fail, and the people behind it would soon be found by Judgment and Anti-Skill. When those two forces joined together, they were highly effective. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling quite yet… was she forgetting something? _Ah, whatever!_ She put her hands behind her head, crossed her legs and leaned back into the chair, saying: "Aa-ah, sounds like this is a no-brainer after all. It'll all fall to pieces once they realize nothing will happen." The other girls looked at her as she then stood and stretched, apparently relieved by her own conclusion. "I'm going home before the dorm mistress makes her round. You coming, Kuroko?"

The younger girl looked away and drew a heavy breath. "I will come later, onee-sama. I have to finish my report. Do not wait up for me."

"I wasn't planning to." Mikoto said, already by the door. "See you guys later!"

"Bye bye." Kazari smiled cheerfully, and Konori nodded. The second year middle-schooler disappeared from their office, her descent down the stairs quite audible in the otherwise quiet building.

"Somehow I get the feeling everything is alright." Kazari said and stretched. "Aaah, it'll be nice to get enough sleep again…"

"Do not relax just yet, Uiharu-san." Kuroko said from her desk. "We are not done."

"Hai, hai." The flowery girl sighed.

The oldest of the three girls watched the other two work for a minute, then turned towards Kuroko. "Am I the only one with a bad feeling?" She asked.

"Eh?" Kazari turned around.

"No, you are not." Kuroko said, staring intently at her screen. "Something is bugging me about this case, a great deal so." And it was obvious her onee-sama was thinking the same. She didn't plan on investigating this alone, did she? Kuroko had thought they quenched that sort of heroic habits during the happenings in the summer vacation.

Kazari, however, did not think of any of this, and didn't get what the others were so distressed about. Seeing the younger girl's confused face, Konori explained:

"It's just that it doesn't make sense. It's too obvious that this plan wouldn't work. Something is amiss, and we're not seeing it."

* * *

Note: I feel like I want to rewrite this whole chapter or skip it entirely, but it would take so much time, and as the author, I may be biased in my view. I'll let the readers decide how this is recieved.

Thanks a lot for the feedback this far! It makes me feel as if there are actually humans reading this story and not just bots =P  
It's fun and a bit nervewracking to read your theories on what's going to happen. Things like "Wow, what a great idea!" and "Shit! How come I didn't think of that?" and the like may or may not swirl in my head when reading those.

Also, I am pleased to see it seems like you guys think I've managed to keep the characters, well, in character. It's hard working with set personalities and try them out in different situations; they are humans after all, and will naturally react differently in different kinds of settings. This was a major challenge for me in the upcoming chapters!

Next chapter will contain lines such as: "What is the PROBLEM with everyone!"


	9. Wednesday, Morning

**Wednesday, September 20th **

**Morning**

Wednesday. A good day almost at the end of the week. It was sunny, but not too hot, and there would be new manga in the stores. Excellent in other words.

"How can you say that it is almost at the end of the week, when it is clearly right in the middle, if not closer to the beginning?" Kuroko was chastising from the other side of the breakfast table.

"It feels better that way." Mikoto said, gulping down the last piece of toast on her plate, and then gave a small sigh. "You know, Kuroko, feeling good is an important part of being young – you should try it sometime."

Kuroko huffed, as if she disagreed. "Really. Young ladies such as yourself should not have such inelegant hobbies as reading manga…"

"Aaah, Kuroko, just because you don't realize how exciting Magical Girl Majoko is doesn't mean everyone agrees with you!"

"Indeed, onee-sama." Kuroko relented, knowing when a battle was lost. A couple of girls walked past their table, and when they saw Mikoto, they started giggling and hurried along, throwing a couple of longing looks as they went. Kuroko frowned at them until they passed. _This school is full of perverts… _It was Kuroko's death glare that stopped anyone else from sitting at their table; thus, the two of them had an entire length of table meant for six people to themselves.

"I want to skip class and go straight to the store." Mikoto said, watching the street outside longingly.

Kuroko choked on her tea and had to cough it down. Once out of danger from suffocating, her shocked expression turned on the older girl. "Onee-sama! Please watch what you say!"

"Jeez, can't I have some secret desires too?" Mikoto leaned back and sipped her tea. When Kuroko continued to look stricken, she sighed. "Relax, Kuroko, I won't skip. Have I ever skipped a class in my life ever before?"

Opening her mouth and then closing it, Kuroko realized she didn't really know. She had only known Mikoto for about six months, and in the beginning they hadn't exactly been _friends_, so to say (though a certain classmate of Mikoto's would probably say otherwise). What the older girl had been doing during her first year in middle school and her elementary school days was a shrouded mystery to her.

Annoyed, she said: "Well, knowing you, onee-sama, you would simply call it 'excursion' instead of skipping, thereby justifying it in your own mind –"

"Oh, great idea!" Mikoto grinned. "I never thought about that!"

Kuroko's hand shivered, tea splashing dangerously close to the edge of her cup. Quickly collecting herself, she continued: "However you are the pride of Tokiwadai, your actions represent this school and all its pupils, and you should –"

"Aw, man, I really don't want to go to class today…" Mikoto sighed, supporting her head with her hand as she stared outside, and effectively interrupting Kuroko's tirade.

"Listen to meee!" The younger girl hissed. Mikoto shifted her gaze to look at her, a solemn look on her face.

"You came home late last night too. Have you even done any homework this week?"

Kuroko's sudden horror-struck expression was answer enough. Mikoto sighed lightly and stood up. "I guess I'm off. Good luck, Kuroko!" Delivering a brilliant 1000 watt smile to her terrorized roommate, she headed for the exit of the cafeteria.

XXX

Saten Ruiko was humming the new tune she'd downloaded the evening before while strolling along the sidewalk on her way to school. Even with the approaching autumn, the weather was still hot, and she was happy they would be using summer uniforms for another while yet. Her long, black hair was sporting a yellow flower hairclip today, and while not as amazing as Kazari's flowery headband, it was still nice. Ruiko enjoyed nice things, like the streets in the morning, and Hitotsui Hajime's newest single. Humming along to the tune, far into her own world, she didn't notice the other girls before one of them slapped her back.

"Ruiko!" She turned at the voice, and smiled when seeing two of her classmates and fellow 'normal' humans (referring to the fact that they were all ability-less), Shimawata Kasuri and Kunita Inu.

"Good morning, Shimawata, Kunita." Ruiko greeted, turning down the volume on her music phone to better communicate.

"Aw man, Ruiko, can I borrow your notes on yesterday's lecture?" Kasuri moaned, running a hand through her short, curly hair. "I forgot mine…"

"Yeah right, you just didn't take any!" Inu said, sighing with a resigned expression on her face. Her long hair was adorned by several small braids today, and as usual she seemingly towered above the other girls. "For having glasses you sure are stupid." She said.

"Glasses have nothing to do with intelligence!" The other girl bit back, miffed.

Ruiko grinned. "Sure you can, but I don't know how much help my notes will be, since I hardly understood any of it…"

"Still better than nothing! And grumpy here won't lend me hers." She pointed with her thumb over at Inu, who pursed her lips.

They laughed and talked on their way to school, crossing a street of small stores. Ruiko noticed the windows on one of the buildings was full of spray tagging, similar to the ones she had seen in other streets around town recently.

"Ah, they've been here too." Kasuri said, looking at the tagging as well.

"Eh?"

"Those spray taggers." Kasuri studied the doodle in disapproval. "They could at least do some pretty pictures of a dog or something." She sighed, then perked again. "That reminds me: You heard the news? They said you shouldn't walk around alone now… Ruiko, are you masochist or something?"

"Eh?" Ruiko blinked. "No, well, it's just that Uiharu lives in another dorm so I usually walk alone…"

"Then from now on you're walking with us!" Kasuri slung an arm around her shoulders.

"It really is true that people are being attacked…" Inu said worriedly.

"Of course." Kasuri said, and then grinned secretively. "But what the news didn't say is that those guys are working for some level five… Sniper I think." She put her arms around herself and gave an exaggerated shiver. "I don't even want to go outside anymore knowing I might get attacked by some goons!"

"But you know, I heard from my friend that they're working for the Railgun." Inu said thoughtfully.

"What, Tokiwadai's Railgun? No way!"

"Yeah, apparently she's gone all nuts about 'claiming this territory' or something." Inu said.

"Oh, power-hungry much?" Kasuri said, and they both laughed.

Ruiko grew silent, thinking about what happened at the arcade the day before. "I don't think that's true."

"What?" Inu looked at her.

"I don't think it's true that Misaka-san is using any goons to claim any territory."

"Oh, that's right, you know her, don't you?" Kasuri exclaimed.

"But my friend said she heard them say it." Inu said stubbornly. "And I even read it on the forum; many people are saying they've heard the same. That Railgun is claiming this territory or some other."

"But your friend goes to a school in district 15!" Kasuri said. "So are the Railgun claiming both districts then, or what? Wouldn't it be better to claim district 7 and 8 or something?" She rubbed her chin. "Still, it's a rather bold move."

"I don't know!" Inu said defensively. "I only know what I've heard from other people!"

Ruiko hmm'ed, displeased. She didn't know anything about the case, but she was certain Misaka-san had nothing to do with the attacks at all.

"I heard some people say it was the Sniper though." Kasuri said. She suddenly grinned. "Maybe there's some kind of war between them!" Her voice took on an overly dramatic tone as she continued: "Soon, the whole city will be laid bare before the harsh battle, and the only ones capable of stopping it all is –"

"Hai, hai," Inu said, sighing. "Well, I don't like how they talk about 'territories' and what-not either way. I mean, is this supposed to be Railgun's place? What about us, we live here too! And why doesn't she do something about it then, I mean, _I_ would if some guy was invading my space… if I could, of course…"

"We could hang up posters around town." Kasuri suggested, and her voice got a high-pitched tone: "'Please leave our territory alone!'. You'll see, they'll go away at once!"

Ruiko laughed.

"Oh, by the way, Ruiko!" Kasuri continued. "Did you hear about Hajime's concert?"

She suddenly changed the subject.

"Yeah, I did!" She was actually planning to ask Uiharu about going. "It's this Saturday, and if you bring the special promotion ticket which was included in his latest release, you can get the entrance ticket for only half the price!"

"Man, I wish I had one of those!" Kasuri smacked her forehead. "By the time I was able to grab the latest single, all the special offers were already taken." Her eyes then grew big, and Inu let out a squeal, as Ruiko flapped not only one, but two pieces of paper in the air, grinning. The words 'HITOTSUI HAJIME CONCERT: SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL TICKET' were printed in large letters, and the picture of a scantily-dressed guy holding a microphone in an over-the-top pose covered the rest.

"Ruuuikoooooo!" Kasuri dived forward, but missed the tickets entirely as Ruiko swiveled out of the way. Kasuri groaned in an exaggerated way, sending Ruiko a somewhat jealous glare. Ruiko grinned widely and put the tickets back into her shirt pocket.

"It's treasured, and no caveman like you shall lay their hands on it."

"What! You shouldn't talk about cavemen; at least I have a boyfriend!" Kasuri cried.

"And when you talk with him, it does sound like the grunts of cavemen." Inu joined in on the teasing. "How fitting."

Kasuri growled and chased them down the street, all laughing, and they arrived at school ten minutes later thoroughly exhausted.

XXX

Secrecy. Whispering and low, annoying giggling. It had followed her the whole day, even through lunch, sitting at the table together with Kuroko. She heard them all around, whispering and looking at her. Mikoto stared into her udon noodles while she heard yet another couple of girls whisper excitedly as they passed by their table. What were they whispering about? It was maddening! The whole day she had been feeling relieved that no underclassmen were fawning over here like they usually did, but turned out it had been switched with this annoying habit! _Why are girls so WEIRD?_ _Gossiping, whispering, giggling behind corners… I DON'T GET IT! _She was a girl who had never been indulged in this aspect of being a girl.

Kuroko noticed how Mikoto's grip on the chopsticks became tighter and tighter, and decided to say something.

"Onee-sama, is something the matter?" She knew exactly what the problem was, of course; she had heard it herself throughout the day. Being known as Mikoto's friend, some girls had even dared to ask her about it: _"Is it true that the Railgun is claiming this territory?" "Why isn't Misaka-sama stopping that terrible Sniper?" "Does she even care that we are being assaulted everywhere!" "My friend in district 15 was attacked by Misaka-sama's goons! Are they really working for her!"_

She tch'ed. She had answered to the best of her ability, but somehow she doubted that they all understood or even believed her.

"Matter? I should be the one to ask that." Mikoto huffed. "What is the _PROBLEM_ with everyone!" Her outburst made several people within hearing range turn around in surprise. Breathing heavily, she smacked the chopsticks on the table before she could use them to kill anyone.

"Onee-sama, please." Kuroko said, still as calm and collected as ever. She understood her completely, but nevertheless, staying calm was key in this situation. After all, image is quite important at a school such as Tokiwadai, though her onee-sama failed at realizing this.

"Ara," an unwelcome voice made its existence known beside Mikoto. She froze, and then turned her head, expecting the worst. There stood a tall, beautiful girl with long, black wavy hair in a ponytail and arms folded across her admirable chest. She was sporting an arrogant smile, and was flanked by several other girls.

Her voice was friendly, though her eyes glinted of maliciousness. "If it isn't Sparky."

Some of the girls behind her let out a snicker, while Kuroko looked like she had just downed an entire carton of expired milk.

This was one of the so-called Queen's followers, a third-year named Sahari Musiko. She and her friends rarely spoke with Mikoto, Kuroko or anyone affiliated to them; nothing useful ever came out of it, obviously.

Mikoto sighed and turned back to the table, not willing to meet their eyes. Sahari was the kind of girl that loved attention, and giving her any for free was like asking for a confrontation. She'd never cared for that so-called rivalry with the Queen anyway; she didn't even know what she looked like. And what was there to be rivals over?

"What do you want, Sahari-san?" Kuroko asked venomously, still bristling at the rude nick-name the other had given her onee-sama. Sahari shot her a quick glance, then turned back to watching Mikoto.

"The Queen is pondering your actions, Railgun-_sama_." The ironical tone didn't go unnoticed by the listeners, and the other girls let out small giggles, although they seemingly tried to hide it. It was no secret that they had some awe-inspired fright of Mikoto; after all, they were nowhere near her power level, and if they should ever duke it out in a fight, they would lose horribly. Sahari, on the other hand, knew Mikoto would never attack them, or maybe she just felt sure that the Queen would protect her. Whatever the reason, she dared stand up to Mikoto and talk down to her. The other girls used her as a shield, trying to stay behind her as much as possible, but still too curious to back away. The sight was rather comical.

"How come you think this is your territory?" Sahari asked. Mikoto was staring at the bowl with noodles in front of her, sighing deeply. She should perhaps be surprised at the other's words, but found she was not at all. It had really been just a question of time; she may have said those words to only one thug, but all that was needed was for him to tell one other person, and the word would be spreading: Through cell phones, rumors, gossip forums, the speed it would spread at through a place like Academy City was astounding.

She silently wondered how much was left of lunchtime, and figured it was enough to make it a pain to sit here and wait. _Jeez._ Just standing up and leave would surely only inspire a lot more rumors to run around, though.

"Also, the Queen sees you rather stay out of this case." Sahari continued.

"What do you mean?" Kuroko asked, as though able to read Mikoto's mind and ask the question for her. Sahari grudgingly looked at her; she would rather have Mikoto say something than having to speak to the younger girl who, in her eyes, weren't worthy of her attention.

"Why does everyone assume that it is Sparky who needs to clean up when the Sniper invades?" She sighed overbearingly, and Mikoto's eyebrows twitched slightly at the ridiculous nickname.

Sahari turned back to watch her. "You should know," she said and leaned forward slightly, "this 'territory' doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the Queen, and so, it is her right to defend it."

Mikoto's eyes widened in surprise.

The satisfaction of having gotten a reaction out of her, however small, made Sahari smile in triumph. She straightened, waved a hand dismissively, and sighed.

"So like you can probably imagine, we are here to ask you to step back and don't do anything stupid. Anyone foolish enough to invade this territory will be dealt with accordingly… by the Queen."

Mikoto clenched her jaw, and fought the want to bite back at the arrogant girl. Since when did that 'Queen' think of this as her territory? Jeez, she could have it, for all she cared.

"That is simply what the Sniper would want." Kuroko said knowingly from the other side of the table. Sahari looked at her again, huffing.

"The Queen has no offensive powers except what she can gain by controlling other ability users." Kuroko continued, not even looking at Sahari in her arrogant speech. "Since the difficulty of controlling someone rises with their level, I suspect she has very few level threes or higher under her command. What can she possibly do to stop Sniper?"

Sahari's face contorted in anger, but Kuroko just kept that nonchalant smile on her face and continued: "Either way, this is neither the Queen's nor onee-sama's job. This city is not a warzone of level fives, neither is it anyone's playground. Judgment and Anti-Skill will take care of this problem; we are Academy City's safe-keepers, and so you should inform your Queen. She needn't worry."

"Shut up!" Sahari spat, her face no longer beautiful, but twisted in rage. Kuroko sipped her tea calmly, totally ignorant of the death glare she was receiving.

"You shouldn't act so all-knowingly, Shirai-san, you don't know as much about this as I do! Nor do you know anything at all about the Queen's powers."

"Feel free to enlighten me."

"Hmph." The tall girl smiled, forming her face back to normal as her stance relaxed again. "I do see the logic of an upperclassman teaching an underclassman, but you are not my responsibility. You can live in ignorance." She looked back to Mikoto again, who had to admire Kuroko for her calm attitude. "Anyway, you better watch your moves, Sparky! We won't tolerate any more selfish actions from your side."

With that, she turned and marched off, the other girls trailing behind her obediently. Kuroko let out an exasperated sigh, and Mikoto fingered the chopsticks lying on the table with a bored expression on her face, briefly contemplating whether they could be used for a railgun.

* * *

"Majoko" means "magical girl" in Japanese. Clever, huh?


	10. Wednesday, Early afternoon

**Wednesday, Early afternoon**

"I wish I had clairvoyance!" Mikoto announced. "Then I could solve this irritating case at once, and those silly gossipers would have no more fuel." She gripped her hair in annoyance. "Aaah, there's nothing good about flashy powers at all!"

Beside her, Kuroko sighed and sweat-dropped simultaneously. They were walking down the streets of the Garden of Education; school was over without any more mentionable incidents, but the consistent whispering and giggling had been tormenting them both throughout the day. Whether the actions of Mikoto's self-proclaimed "fan club" made things worse or better by persistently insisting to everyone it was all a conspiracy, none could truly know.

Trying to get Mikoto onto different thoughts, the smaller girl said: "Uiharu-san asked me to meet in the usual café before work. Do you wish to come as well?"

Slinging her school bag over her shoulder, Mikoto looked ahead while answering: "No, I think I'll go to the store and then do whatever. Say hi for me."

"Onee-sama, you should be a little more sociable, lest you turn into a hermit…"

"Well, see what happens when I am?" Mikoto exclaimed, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "Strange rumors, nosy bastards, fan girls and dumbasses swarm around me!" Agitated, she shook her fist at no-one in particular. "I'd rather stay locked up in a cabin on Mount Fuji than having to see people's faces all day!"

Having no particular comeback to that, Kuroko just eyed her dejectedly. Really, sometimes she wondered who the older one here was.

Her mouth formed into a smug smile. "I guess I should feel honored to be allowed to be in your presence, then."

Mikoto gazed questioningly at her, then looked away. "Well, sure," she said, "I can't avoid you even if I wanted, with you being my room-mate (not that I had any say in that). But even though you're stupid, I guess you're not as bad as most of them."

"Awww, onee-sama!" Jumping onto the other girl and making her exclaim in surprise, Kuroko grabbed Mikoto's arm and rubbed her cheek against it. "You're so lovely when you say things in such a bashful way, making my heart flutter!"

Mikoto grimaced and tried to shake her off. "Gah, I forgot about this side of you. I take it back: You're way worse than any of the others!"

"Aaah, you don't mean that, give me a kiss, come oooon."

"Aarrg!"

The ensuing 'zaps' in the otherwise quiet and refined Garden of Education made several people turn their heads.

When they were nearing the exit of the Garden, Mikoto suddenly stopped and turned towards Kuroko, who nervously prepared herself for another lightning attack, even still being numb from earlier. Though raising her school bag to her chest weren't really an effective shield against an electric charge, it was a natural reaction.

"By the way," Mikoto said thoughtfully, "did you ever find that guy?"

"Eh?" Both surprised at not being electrocuted, and at the context of the question, Kuroko blinked stupidly.

"That William Mustaf guy. The pyrokinetic who attacked me."

"Aah, him." Straightening, Kuroko rubbed her chin. "Such cases are not of Judgment's jurisdiction officially, so it is Anti-Skill who are investigating this, though we do help in what way we can considering the amount of assaults lately." She sighed at the reminder of how much work was waiting for her. "According to our contact at Anti-Skill, the address registered on his name in the data banks turned out to be a deserted apartment. That, and Sakugawa high school, which he attends obviously, haven't heard from him in several days, making this whole mess even messier."

"Sakugawa?" Mikoto frowned in thought at the familiar name. "Oh! Isn't Uiharu-san and Saten-san attending Sakugawa middle school?"

"That's right." Kuroko said. "I asked them, but they don't know any of the high schoolers, which is only natural, I guess. And then there's the fact that he has hardly been at school for the past few weeks."

"Huuuh. Why would anyone do that?" Mikoto folded her arms thoughtfully; possibly, the art of skipping was just a mystic phenomenon in rich girls' schools.

"Well, whatever his reasons, I have not been able to track him down." Kuroko continued. "I do not think Anti-Skill has either, else you would probably be called in on an interview. Even though the one you gave to me should suffice, Anti-Skill likes doing things their own way…" She trailed off, noticing Mikoto's sudden troubled expression as she checked her green frog-shaped cell phone hurriedly.

"Onee-sama?"

"Gah, I knew I forgot something!" Mikoto exclaimed. Putting the phone away and smiling broadly to Kuroko, she started moving along. "I have to go, Kuroko, see you later, okay?"

Before Kuroko could form a coherent sentence, Mikoto had bolted out of there with the speed of a marathon runner.

The young girl sighed. "Really, running like that…"

Thinking about it, would Mikoto try to take matters into her own hands? _No_, she shook her head; _I have to have faith in onee-sama_. That secretive, lone wolf behavior was most assuredly gone after everything they lived through this summer; if nothing else, she'd at least try to co-operate now before charging ahead on her own. Smiling softly, Kuroko shifted her schoolbag into her other hand and continued down the street.

XXX

_Jeez, I'm so stupid!_ Mikoto arrived at the bus stop, breathing heavily from having run all the way there, and checked her cell phone again.

The message from Anti-Skill was very clear: '_Misaka Mikoto is required to come by 7__th__ district's Anti-Skill headquarters at Wednesday, September 20__th__ at 4pm in order to give a brief interview. If you cannot come at the designated time, please give notice at least two hours in advance. If you do not show up and have not given notice, you will be given a fine of 20,000 yen. Please confirm the reception of this message following the instructions below. With regards, Anti-Skill HQ.' _

The address of the seventh district headquarters implied it was too far away to go by foot, and she guessed it would be about ten minutes by bus. The watch on her cell phone blinked 15:45 ignorantly towards her. She had gotten the message yesterday, and she had even sent a confirmation message back as they required. Still, this morning, and all throughout the day, her mind had been elsewhere. Had not Kuroko mentioned being interviewed… She could just imagine the look on Kuroko's face had she known she had forgotten this, and that was bad enough.

The bus arrived at the headquarters with only a couple of minutes to spare. Mikoto got off and looked around. The building was huge compared to Judgment 177th branch headquarters, and it was bustling with activity. Aiming at what seemed to be the main entrance, she entered a huge lobby which made her stand and look around in approval at the high ceiling and stylized forms, until her mind jolted her back to reality and the fact that a fine of 20,000 yen were awaiting her if she stood around wasting time. She went to the nearest receptionist and told her her name and why she was there. After checking her ID card, the woman then looked at her computer.

"You want third flank. Follow the hall down here, then take elevator B up to second floor. Then you want room 230. I'll call them and tell them you're on your way."

Shaking off the temptation to tell the kind lady that all she really _wanted_ was to get out, Mikoto followed her directions and ended up in the elevator with several other people.

Her mind was settling down, and now she wondered why she was called here. Was it because of the fight with that Mustaf guy? Perhaps they had found him, like Kuroko said. Or maybe it was because of yesterday's happening in the arcade? Sweat-dropping at the memory, she was glad she had managed to reign herself in during that event. Had she attacked the guy in there, and been unlucky and short-circuited the place, or even worse, injured someone… well, she could have risked ending up paying a lot more than 20,000 yen to say the least.

She sighed.

The elevator let out a kind, womanly voice: "Ding! This is second floor, third flank."

XXX

"A concert?" Kuroko looked less than thrilled while twirling the straw around in her drink.

Kazari nodded excitedly.

"Hai, with Hitotsui Hajime, this Saturday! You and Misaka-san definitely should come!"

"Ah," Ruiko said unsurely, noticing the lack of enthusiasm with the pig-tailed girl, "you don't have to say that, Uiharu, if they're not interested they're not interested, and the tickets are quite pricey, so…"

"It's only 6000 yen!" Kazari insisted, as if it was barely worth mentioning. Ruiko sweat-dropped, feeling bad for the two others, as she and Uiharu would both have a special promotion ticket and thus would pay only half the price to enter.

"The price isn't an issue, but rather whether we have the time." Kuroko said thoughtfully. Truth was, she had been neglecting her homework the last days due to the amount of Judgment work (even though they were supposed to put school first), but she'd never say _that_ out loud.

Ruiko laughed disbelievingly. "Don't you think you have too much money for your own good if you're considering using 6000 yen on something you're not even interested in?" She completely ignored Kazari's waving hands as the flower girl tried to stop her.

Kuroko didn't answer; perhaps she didn't even hear it. She seemed deep in thought while staring at her milkshake.

"Well, just think about it, okay?" Kazari smiled broadly, and Kuroko sighed again and leaned back into the chair.

"Hai, I shall ask onee-sama about it as well." She took a sip from her milkshake. Ruiko slowed in her own sipping, wondering if the underlying worry in the other's expression was just her imagination.

"Where is Misaka-san, by the way?" Kazari asked eagerly, looking forward to pestering her into it as well.

"Aaah, onee-sama is probably shaming the name of Tokiwadai right now," Kuroko said dramatically, "stand-reading manga as usual. At least she has the decency to do it in stores our students do not usually frequent."

"Stand-reading? Why does she do that; can't she just buy them?" Ruiko asked. Kuroko shrugged and shook her head dejectedly. Ruiko leaned back into the chair while sipping her soda, deciding she didn't understand people with money. Then again, this _is_ Tokiwadai girls, so she shouldn't really be surprised. The prestigious school with barely 200 students in total could probably run the whole city on their wallets alone. She guessed anyone with so much money would act weird when it came to spending them.

"By the way, Uiharu," Kuroko said, "we are supposed to patrol area C today."

"Can you do it alone?" Kazari grinned. And then, seeing Kuroko's face, hurriedly added: "Hai!"

XXX

Mikoto sat in a sofa facing three adults in another sofa on the other side of a low table, feeling nervous. On the table was a can of tea, four cups and a bowl of chocolate cookies. It seemed misplaced, as if someone's mother had been to visit and insisted on leaving it here.

The adults, two women and a man, were looking at Mikoto as though she was a rare animal in a zoo. She felt all tense and sweaty, trying to keep her smile natural, but failing.

_They've been staring at me for at least three minutes!_ Since she entered the room, the only words having been exchanged were simple greetings. The Anti-Skill members hadn't even introduced themselves. And why were there three of them anyway? Surely she didn't have that much to tell them… Or had they dug up all the cases she'd been involved in since entering school in Academy City? Maybe the dorm mistress had told them about all her rule breaking habits, and that spiky-haired freak had told them about all the times she assaulted him – But wait, that was purely his own fault anyway for being a dumbass.

Her hands felt clammy on her thighs.

"Heh." One of the adults, a beautiful lady with narrow glasses on her nose and long, blonde hair falling elegantly around her shoulders, leaned forward slightly and grabbed a cookie, smiling all the while. "You are probably wondering why you have been called here, Mikoto-chan."

She popped the cookie into her mouth, somehow managing to eat the whole thing at once and still look elegant. Mikoto tensed, expecting the worst, still that strained smile on her face.

"My name is Mahashi Kurina," the blonde woman continued. Gesturing to the woman beside her, whom was short-haired, well-built and looked rather angry, she continued: "This is Otonashi Shizuka. And over there," gesturing again to the only man in the room, who nodded shortly from above a laptop and looked rather forgettable with his short-cut brown hair and dark eyes, "is Kono-kun. Don't mind him; he's just here to take notes."

"Aah." Mikoto said, smiling awkwardly still, and trying to find a comfortable spot on the sofa.

The man, Kono-kun, finally looked away as he pulled out a bunch of papers from a suitcase on the floor beside the sofa. Kurina continued to smile friendly, and Shizuka kept her gaze locked on Mikoto, her hands folded in front of her mouth, much like someone deep in thought. Mikoto only wished she would look somewhere else while thinking.

"The last few days we have received an overwhelming amount of reports were your name is mentioned in one way or another." Kurina said and accepted the pile of papers from Kono-kun.

Picking up the first, she looked at it briefly and said: "Sunday evening you were the cause of seven men being sent to the hospital with mild to serious injuries; luckily, they were quickly released and deemed healthy."

Mikoto didn't know what to say, or even if she was supposed to say anything.

The woman dropped the report on the table and continued: "Monday evening you were the cause of vandalism to a bridge, presumably because of a fight with another ability user."

_Presumably?_ Did they think she'd gone and vandalized it by herself?

Kurina threw this report on top of the first one with a sound that went something like 'ploff', and went on: "Yesterday, Tuesday, we have several reports. The first is a happening in an arcade, were you injured a man who attacked you. This man bases his motif on the fact that your men have attacked and injured his girlfriend during a ruffle in fifteenth district."

'Ploff', the report landed on the others. "Later that day you short-circuited three vending machines and attacked a young man," 'ploff', "and barely ten minutes later were found on-site by Judgment after having taken out two men in the middle of the street."

The papers were piling up on the table, and Mikoto felt sweat pour down her face; hearing it like this, it did not sound good at all. Did she really do that much damage in only three days? Her strained smile dissipated, she could not master to have it up anymore.

"Now, these are the cases in our district." Continued Kurina, laying a hand on the papers. She was still holding a bunch in the other hand. Now Mikoto really wished she had Kuroko's ability; even though she would be hunted down, she'd teleport out of here and far away and wait for it all to calm down.

Kurina flapped the remaining papers in her hand. "Here are a number of cases from district 15, were civilians have been attacked by ability users who all claim they have been doing it on your command. At least, that's what they've been saying according to witnesses and victims; there have been no arrests on the issue as of yet."

Smiling, Kurina pushed her glasses up as she put the last bunch of papers on the table beside the ones already there. Mikoto was dumbfounded, not understanding what was going on. Were they trying to make her say something? Were they going to arrest her? But they couldn't do that without proper evidence, and there was none, because none of those cases were her fault! …perhaps with the exception of the fight with the dumbass, if one looked closely.

"Now I don't want to sound like I'm accusing you, but have you issued any orders of attacking people?" Kurina asked sweetly.

"N-no, of course not!" She stuttered, taken aback by the sudden question. Her hands felt clammy again; she forced them to uncurl. Kurina watched her with a smile, and the other woman, Shizuka, kept gazing at her without an emotion, while Kono-kun typed into his computer on the table.

"Why would you want to claim this territory?" Kurina asked, still smiling.

So they'd heard about that as well. Mikoto set her jaw, trying to keep it from shaking. Why was she so nervous anyway?

"I don't." She said, "I only said that to scare the Sniper away; in any case, shouldn't you be interrogating him?" Her voice turned slightly desperate. "His men have been attacking people in our district! And I know Anti-Skill arrested two of them yesterday!" Her words were almost echoed in the clicks and clacks of the keyboard on the small computer, and she realized she should think them over more carefully before throwing them out.

"Is that why you sent your own men to district 15? To retaliate?" Kurina pushed her glasses up again, looking all too pleased for Mikoto's liking.

"I haven't sent anyone anywhere," she said, trying to form her words correctly. "I didn't even know that the Sniper had men here before that Mustaf guy suddenly attacked me."

Looking through the papers, Kurina said: "Mustaf is the level four pyrokinetic you fought on the bridge, is that right?"

"Yes, that's right! He suddenly attacked me, saying that Sniper wants this territory or something!"

"You don't sound very sure."

"Ack – He said that! And told me to 'lay low'!" She was really sweating now, and felt like a stick waiting to be thrown into the fire. Kurina looked back at the papers on the table. Shizuka hadn't yet averted her gaze, which felt like it burned into her flesh.

"However, no-one has seen Mustaf-san since your fight with him." Kurina said at last. "According to Judgment, it was he who attacked you, yet you won. But why didn't Judgment apprehend him?"

Mikoto opened her mouth, then closed it, as she recalled that night. Why the heck had she let him go?

"Um, he – he ran away." She knew it was not convincing.

Kurina smiled again. "And you were unable to stop him? Judgment reported you had no injuries and were found standing and with your senses intact."

Why did Kuroko tell them all that? It made it so much harder to explain. She couldn't even remember why she had let him go!

"Well, he… ran." She said. "I was tired from the fight, and my only means of stopping someone is by hurting them!" This was a semi-white lie of course, but they didn't need to know that. Judging from his small smile, Kono-kun seemed to find it amusing, and it made Mikoto mad that she couldn't say it in a more convincing way.

"Yet this fact did not stop you in the past." Kurina's smile seemed more and more unpleasing as this went on.

"Gh." What the heck should she do? She was already being treated as the culprit here!

"Well, I'm sorry for being so rude to you, Mikoto-chan." Kurina suddenly said, putting her papers back in place. "The fact is, we're coming up short in this investigation. We have not been able to get a hold of the Sniper, and even though many evidences point at him, so do many point at you."

"But I'm not the culprit." She felt like a small child complaining to her mother. "And what about that Mustaf guy?"

"If he exists, we will find him eventually."

Now what the heck was that? "Of course he exists; he even attends Sakugawa high school!"

Kurina watched her silently, and Mikoto grit her teeth; had Kuroko been wrong?

"It is our job to solve this case." The woman said at last. "Until we have any more information to work with though, we have to take our precautions. We will ask Judgment to keep a tag on you, and if anymore attacks occur, we will have to call you in again. This is not a means of punishment, merely procedure."

Mikoto wanted to complain, but figured it was better to cooperate. No use making them even more suspicious. Not that she could blame them; that list of cases did seem quite comprehensive.

Wait – _tag_?

"You mean I'll be followed around?" She asked, hoping she had misunderstood.

"Indeed that is what I mean." Kurina said, smiling again. "I'm sorry, but I will have to give you a strict time table for now; if you stray from it, you will be fined, or in worst case brought into custody while the investigation goes on. I understand that this would inflict problems regarding your school, but even a level five has to follow rules."

Mikoto wondered briefly if this woman was related to Kuroko or if she just stole her lines, and sighed grudgingly.

Kurina smiled, and accepted the new papers that Kono-kun gave her. This bunch was a lot smaller, and she gave it a brief look before placing them on the table in front of Mikoto.

"I need you to sign here." She said, pointing to a dotted line and holding out a pen.

Mikoto stared at the paper. It was headlined "_Interview confirmation sheet"_. She'd seen Kuroko fill out lots of papers for Judgment, and remembered they had something similar. Well at least she wasn't signing off for her being guilty or something. Scribbling her name down, she hoped this was all. She wanted very much to leave this room right this instant.

Kurina took both the pen and the paper, and smiled again.

"Thank you. Those papers," she gestured to the ones still lying on the table, "are yours. They will also be sent to your local Judgment office, who will contact you about this."

Mikoto hesitantly took the papers and looked at them without really seeing what was on them.

Her mind was churning with the unfairness of it all; she being tagged, while that bastard Mustaf still strolled around freely, assaulting people all over with his fireballs…

"Um…" she said, and looked back to Kurina, who was still smiling. "Has anyone been… seriously injured from those attacks?" She didn't understand why she asked; as if she tried to find an excuse to not leave?

Kurina merely kept on smiling.

"We cannot give you information on the victims specifically," she said, and Mikoto's heart fell, "but I can confirm that there are several people in the hospital both in district 7 and 15 due to these attacks. As far as I know, none of the injuries are life-threatening."

"Oh." Mikoto looked at the papers in her hand, and didn't know if she should feel relieved or not. It'd been better if those guys in the arcade had been lying, and no-one was injured at all. Then again, if people like that idiot Mustaf strode around flinging fireballs at people, they should be glad there was no fear of lives.

Speaking of that…

"Are all the attackers ability users?" She asked.

Kurina was still smiling, of course, but somehow it didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"I can't give you information regarding that. In fact, until we can get a hold of Sniper, we won't be able to do anything at all."

Why did Anti-Skill seem so hopeless in cases like this? Mikoto felt defeated. But did those guys really work for Sniper? They'd discussed it in Judgment headquarters and agreed that it seemed unlikely, but of course they couldn't really know. It all depended on him, didn't it? Whether he was behind the attacks or not, it all stood and fell on that. Then…

Realizing she was still sitting in the sofa, and would rather get out, she stood up, and bowed.

"Thank you! I'll be going!"

"Bye bye." The lady smiled and waved, and Mikoto took huge steps out of there, just short of running. Once outside in the corridor, she let out a deep breath. Her head was throbbing, and she rubbed her temples. That was uncomfortable! The whole thing hadn't taken more than thirty minutes, but it felt like hours in that small room.

Looking at the papers in her hand, she sighed. _Really, still using print-outs in this day and age… _She stuffed them into her schoolbag while her head swirled with thoughts. _They can't get a hold of Sniper, eh…_ And she would be under surveillance from Judgment until the case moved on. Perhaps if she was lucky, the one to tag her would be Kuroko. No, rather, it definitively would be. Even if Anti-Skill said otherwise, Kuroko would scream and shout and get her way eventually.

Sighing at the vivid images of a rampaging Kuroko in her mind, she headed to the elevator.

So what now? Was she supposed to just stand back and wait?

She frowned. No matter her own predicament, when others had to suffer because of something she was involved in, directly or not, it had to be dealt with at once. She'd never sit still and watch while people were injured if she could do something about it.

Then the most logical action would be to seek out the root of the problem… Sniper probably holed up in district 15, if one went by the logic of the attack locations. But if not even Anti-Skill could contact him… well, why was she thinking like that?

Her steps hurried while her brain worked, and she soon stood in front of the elevator and pushed the button impatiently.

Calling Kuroko was out of the question; she'd have to tell her about the interview, and the tagging order, and the Judgment induced brain of the other girl would not let her go anywhere after that. District 15 was quite far away, but if Sniper turned out to be the one behind all this, it would be worth it.

And if she could do it before Judgment got the message from Anti-Skill, she wouldn't really be breaking any 'time table rules', right?

* * *

Trying to go from 'vacation mode' into 'writing mode' is always an awkward journey, I think.

Oh, and next chapter goes like this:  
"Agh!"  
"Gh."  
"Ngh…"

Enjoy!


	11. Wednesday, Late afternoon, 1

**Wednesday, Late afternoon, 1**

"Really." Kuroko sighed as she cuffed a boy in his teens to a lamppost, and then put her hands on her waist. "Even in broad daylight; has stupidity become contagious?"

While the guy sobbed, she looked at the store in front of them, decorated with an unrecognizable swirl of spray tagging. Kazari's voice was buzzing in the background, the other girl having called Konori-senpai in order to have her type the location into their database.

The cleaning would be done later, and if it was up to Kuroko, there'd be no doubt as to _who_ would be doing that bothersome job.

"I'm sorry!" The guy cried.

They had stumbled upon him by chance during their patrol; this street was filled with closed stores and was usually only frequented by delinquents and other shady characters. Even the security cameras here were out of order, which was probably why he hadn't even bothered covering his face.

"What school do you attend?" Kuroko asked, not really feeling any sympathy for the moron.

"S-Sakugawa high school, first year." He sobbed. _This guy is in high school?_ Kuroko sweat-dropped. "But I only did it because someone I know said I should!" He continued desperately.

"Oh really?" She couldn't care less, but habit had her talking with him; when apprehending someone, you would want any info you could get out of them. Sometimes it was nothing but rubbish, however. "And who told you that?"

"Um, his name is Shotaro. Shotaro… something."

"Ah-ha." She sighed again.

XXX

Anti-Skill had no free officers at the moment to come pick up the guy, so Kazari brought him back to headquarters for questioning while Kuroko continued the patrol. Judgment 177th branch had their own interrogation room, which was really no more than a separate room with a couch, chair and a table. Thanks to that, they didn't have to bring them into the main office if they didn't want to.

Even this guy, who was still acting as upset as if he'd been interrupted during studying for an exam, was questioned in there.

"I told you, this guy I know told me to do it!"

Kazari sweat-dropped. Did he really think he'd be off the hook by blaming his actions on someone else?

"Can you tell me more about this – er, Shotaro?" She asked, checking her notes if that was the correct name. It sounded familiar, somehow. She frowned, trying to recall where she heard it before.

"He's a third-year at my school, that is, Sakugawa high school." The guy said, obviously not trying to wriggle his way out of this by making things up. "Anyway, I just did it cause he said he'd pay me 800 yen for each place I managed to tag… look, I was supposed to take pictures of my spots and –"

Kazari's eyes widened. Shotaro! Shotaro Hajime! He and William Mustaf both were famous throughout Sakugawa for being level four (their school had very few of those) – could it possibly…?

"I didn't even know the spray was so hard to get rid of, I swear –"

"His name is Shotaro Hajime, right?" Kazari eagerly interrupted the blabbering guy.

He stuttered and stopped, and then, maybe sensing a means of redeeming himself, eagerly co-operated. "Yeah, that's his name – Hajime! Shotaro Hajime, the level four at Sakugawa high school!"

"When did you talk to him?"

"I saw him after school yesterday. Usually we – that is, me and my friends – hang out at a place called Hirama, it's a club of sorts in area F. I met him there."

XXX

"Ruuu-i-kooo!" Someone threw themselves at her back; Ruiko let out a surprised squeal and stumbled forward, barely managing to stay upright due to the sudden weight.

"Kasuri!" Inu came up beside them, and pulled Kasuri off Ruiko's back.

"What are you up to?" The bespectacled asked, smiling and patting her friend's shoulder.

Ruiko plastered on a smile as well, rubbing her neck. "Nothing in particular, I was thinking of buying a crepe or something…" She had actually been bored out of her mind, with Kazari being so busy with Judgment work and none of her other friends free to roam about.

"Oh, great idea!"

They all bought crepes from a nearby wagon, and sat on a bench to eat, enjoying the sun from underneath a shady tree and watching the people around them.

"Are you guys coming to the concert on Saturday?" Ruiko asked.

Kasuri gave a deep sigh, and Inu smiled apologetically and said: "It's kind of expensive without those special tickets…"

Ruiko sighed, thinking about Kuroko's words regarding the price. _Jeez, rich girls sure are something… _

"Can't you just rob a bank or something?" She suggested, grinning. "I'll even throw in a good word for you when Anti-Skill shows up!"

"Inu could seduce the employees while I stuff the money into my schoolbag." Kasuri said thoughtfully. "And Ruiko, you cover our backs! If anyone comes, take them out with the radiation from your cell phone!"

"Then we'll be facing mutants with four arms and superhuman strength instead…"

"Oh shit, you're right…"

Inu giggled.

"Arrg, but it's so frustrating!" Kasuri groaned and slumped back into the bench. "I_ need_ to go to that concert, but my allowance isn't in before next week!"

"I know what you mean." Ruiko said. "If not for those tickets, I wouldn't have money to go, either." She leaned back into the bench and took a bite of her crepe. "Man, being rich sure would be nice."

Kasuri suddenly grinned, and leaned into Ruiko, as if to whisper some great secret. "You know, I know about a quick and easy way to earn money."

"Eh?"

"Kasuri, we don't know that for sure." Inu said in a resigned tone.

"Well, we won't know if we don't go!" The other girl protested, straightening up. She looked back at Ruiko. "I overheard some of the boys in class talk about it. Apparently there's this place you can go, and they will give you some really easy work which pays good."

"Really?" Ruiko looked up at the green leaves of the tree above them, and imagined a ton of different kinds of _work_. "Eh, count me out…"

"No, no, not like that!" Kasuri waved her hands urgently. Then sat back and sighed. "Man, what are you thinking?"

"Well, how do you know it's not something like that?" Inu said.

"The boys wouldn't go there if it was, would they!" Kasuri barked.

The other girl sighed. "You're just curious, admit it."

"So what if I am?" Kasuri looked up at the sky and raised a fist. "Curiosity is the most important force in this world! Without curiosity, Thomas Edison would never have invented the electricity, and Albert Einstein would never have constructed the first rocket!"

"I don't think he did that…" Ruiko started, but her comment was ignored as Kasuri turned on her and said: "You want to be rich, don't you, Ruiko?"

"Erm…" she smiled awkwardly, leaning back to avoid having their faces touch.

"Then you'll come with me and check this out! We'll forever regret it if we don't, I promise!" Ruiko gave a strained laugh, but the fact was she was actually very curious. Maybe they could get some easy part-time jobs to make a few extra yen? It wouldn't hurt. Besides, she had nothing better to do.

"Okay, I'll go." She said, making Kasuri throw her hands in the air, spraying crepe everywhere. "Yay! Come on, let's move."

Inu sighed again. "Isn't it all the way in area F? We'll need to take the bus there."

XXX

Kuroko had just finished helping a little girl finding her way to the plaza when the sound of a girl's whimpering moans erupted in the street, making people in the near proximity blush furiously.

Kuroko pulled out her cell phone and pushed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Shirai-san!" Kazari's voice screeched into her ear from the other end, making Kuroko grimace.

"Uiharu? What's the matter?"

"I found some really important clues about the taggers!"

"Eh?"

"Apparently Shotaro Hajime of Sakugawa high school has been promising payment to anyone who tags around and brings back proof that they did." Kazari sounded excited.

Kuroko gripped her tiny phone with both hands and her eyes grew big.

"Where is he?" She asked urgently.

"Well, I don't know where he is right now," Kazari admitted, "but the guy we arrested earlier met up with him at a club called Hirama in area F yesterday. I'm going to send the information to Anti-Skill right now –" Kazari stopped talking midsentence when she was suddenly met with the dial tone signal. "Eeeh?"

Kuroko hadn't really meant to be rude by hanging up; it was just a reflex in order to use her phone for looking up the address. No matter if she should be patrolling or that it was Anti-Skill's jurisdiction – she regarded this matter as personal, and would settle it as such.

Half an hour later and with the help of her phone's GPS, Kuroko stood outside a small club with a sparkling neon sign saying "Hirama". The street was well-kept and flanked by small trees, and a small bakery on the other side of the road had some tables and chairs outside on the pavement, adding to the cutesy picture.

It didn't fit her image of a run-down place overflowing with thugs at all.

Hirama was actually pretty normal, double glass doors inviting her in.

The inside was pretty much like any other fast-food restaurant. There was a counter up ahead; they were selling sandwiches and different kinds of fast-food (mostly western), should one judge from the grand menus on the wall above it. The right side of the room was filled with small tables and chairs, clearly not meant to be anything other than a place to sit and eat, which was also what it was used for by the students in there. On the other side of the room was a small area with game machines, and several boys were cheering and laughing by one of the racing booths.

Kuroko went up to the counter and showed her green armband to the woman behind it.

"I am Shirai Kuroko of the Judgment." She introduced herself. "I am here to inquire about one of your recent customers. Is there anywhere we can talk privately?"

She knew several of the female students sitting close by were paying attention, noticing their stares from the corner of her eye.

"Oh my, did something happen?" The woman said worriedly, wiping her hands on her apron and gesturing towards an opening at the side.

"I just have some questions." Kuroko said, and followed the lady into a small room behind the counter.

"Rika, please take the counter for a while." The lady said, and the girl who had been eating a sandwich by the only table in the room, nodded and hurriedly left, with a quick glance at Kuroko on her way out.

The woman closed the door behind her, and sat at the table. Kuroko sat down opposite of her.

"Do you know anything about a man called Shotaro Hajime?" She asked.

"My, my, you're not even going to ask me my name or anything?" The woman laughed warmly, and Kuroko felt her face heat up.

"I guess I could." She said awkwardly, and took out her cell phone, not willing to admit she forgot procedures for a moment. "Then, what is your name and occupation?"

"My name is Miranda Johnson; I am the owner of this place, and work as a kindergarten teacher during daytime." She smiled. "I didn't know they allowed such young girls to work in Judgment; are you sure you shouldn't be chasing after boys instead?"

"Quite sure, thank you." Kuroko said, imagining herself trying to beat up some older boy, losing her cool every time he was spotted and throwing insults about him whenever he was mentioned. What a ridiculous idea. Besides, what would onee-sama think if she suddenly started acting like that?

"Ara, maybe the boys are chasing you instead." The woman smiled smugly at her, and her gaze seemed to drift to her chest area. "Although, you seem to be –"

"That's quite enough, thank you!" Kuroko huffed. "Please, tell me what you know about Shotaro."

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by that name." The lady smiled kindly.

"He's suspected for being involved with the recent tagging in district 7. We have sources that say he has been meeting students here and promising them pay for any tagging they can do."

"Here?" The woman gasped. "My, I never… of course, there are a lot of students here every day, so I wouldn't really know…"

Kuroko let out a small sigh and looked at her phone, not really seeing it. Perhaps that high schooler they arrested earlier was lying? Somehow that didn't feel quite right. But it really felt like she was wasting her time questioning this woman, whether she was telling the truth or not.

"I will question some of the students here," she said, collapsing her phone back to its smaller form. "Thank you for your help." _Even though you didn't help at all!_ She felt like screeching.

"Of course, it was my pleasure!" The woman smiled, and followed her out of the small room.

XXX

Kuroko asked the few students inside the club, but none of them even knew a Shotaro, although the guys that grinned at her and each other during the whole conversation, made her want to smash a fist in each of their faces and force the truth out.

After ten minutes of this fruitlessness, all the while feeling like she was being observed (though every time she looked at the counter, the kind woman was never paying her attention), she went outside. Looking up at the sky, she scratched her head. It was already late in the afternoon, and she was getting hungry. She did not really want to go back in and buy food there, so she wandered off down the sidewalk.

Just as she passed the passageway between Hirama and the next building, she heard voices. Low, stressed voices, as if they tried to be as silent as possible even though they were really worked up.

_What's that, a secret meeting of some gang?_

Curiosity found her, and she went into the small passage.

* * *

I decided to split this chapter because it was so long. Rejoice! This means the alluring preview I gave you last chapter doesn't show up until next time... *evil chuckle*

Like? Dislike? Don't get it at all? Spot any grammar mistakes? Leave a comment, or I'll grow conceited thinking my writing is simply perfect!


	12. Wednesday, Late afternoon, 2

**Wednesday, Late afternoon, 2**

As Kuroko ventured further into the alley, the words of the voices became audible.

"You do understand you don't have a choice, right?" One voice, a male, was saying.

"But we – we thought…" another voice, this one clearly female, stuttered back.

"It doesn't matter what you thought or if you didn't think at all!" Another male voice cried, instantly being hushed by several others. When he continued, his voice was lower: "There's no way we'll let you just walk out of here knowing what you do. You're either with us, or against us. And if you're against us, you should know what will happen."

Kuroko pressed her body to the wall by the corner, and barely moved her head just enough to be able to see beyond it. There was an open space behind Hirama, with two containers and lots of boxes on the dirty ground. The space was boxed in by buildings at the sides and a tall wooden fence at the opposite end. And in front of that fence... her eyes grew big. _Saten-san!_

Saten Ruiko and two other girls were standing close to the fence, facing three boys and a girl, who had their backs to Kuroko. Just as Kuroko were looking at them, Ruiko looked in her direction, and gasped shortly, hurriedly diverting her gaze again.

But the damage was already done.

"What, is someone there?" The guy who had yelled turned around fiercely, but Kuroko had moved, and weren't visible from that angle anymore.

She stood flat against the wall and took a deep breath. Could she take on four people? Potentially four ability users, and in worst case scenario, four high levels?

"Heh." She grinned, albeit a bit strained.

"Go check." Someone said, and then someone was moving towards the passageway, shoes crunching on the dirt. Kuroko reached under her skirt and pulled out four spikes from the leather belts on her thighs. She had seen enough of the situation to justify this as self-defense.

"Hey, hey, whoever you are, come on out…" the guy coming around the corner snickered, but when Kuroko's foot connected with his stomach, he let out a gasp of pain instead. She pushed him into the wall and teleported the spikes through his sweater into the wall above his shoulders, making him unable to do anything other than twitch his fingers.

"What the - !"

"What happened?" Other voices asked, and Kuroko heard them move over. She made a rapid calculation in her head, having already memorized the layout of the backyard, and teleported herself.

Her feet hit the dirt, now standing behind the remaining two guys and the girl. Both of the guys had been on their way to the passageway, but at the girl's surprised shout, they turned around.

"Damn you!" They cried and ran towards her. The fastest one reached her first, throwing out a fist for her face. She coldly avoided it by stepping aside, then plopped down and swiped his leg away from the ground with a low sweep kick.

He let out a surprised sound as he fell on his butt, and then the sleeves of his shirt was nailed to the ground, and he was stuck.

The other guy tried for a roundhouse kick aiming for Kuroko's midriff, but she turned around in a swirl following the direction of his leg, and planted the palm of her hand into his chest using the momentum of her movement. The impact made him cough, and then he was suddenly lying on his back in the dirt, and his clothes were secured to the ground like his buddy.

They both started pulling; trying to force the spikes out or rip up their clothes maybe, but with no success.

"Amateurs." Kuroko huffed, and looked at the girl, who had just been watching till now.

She was smiling, though it seemed half-amused, half-scared. She didn't look like a delinquent, her long blonde hair well kept and braided, and her gray school uniform seemed speck less.

"A teleporter." The blonde girl stated the obvious.

"Shirai-san!" Ruiko hurried over to the Judgment member, Kasuri and Inu tailing her.

"Saten-san, what are you doing here?" Kuroko asked.

"I'll tell you all that later, for now just – watch out!" Ruiko yelled as she ducked, for the blonde girl was suddenly right beside them, aiming a roundhouse kick at Kuroko's head. Kuroko barely had time to react, but managed to lift her hand and block the leg, stepping sideways to relieve the impact.

_What the - ? She stood at least five meters away!_ Kuroko's eyes narrowed. _Another teleporter? _She teleported to the other end of the backyard and pulled out a couple of spikes.

"Get her, Yuri-senpai!" The guys on the ground yelled. The blonde girl smiled at Kuroko, and then she was suddenly beside her again, trying for a reversed roundhouse kick to her midriff.

"Gh." Kuroko once again managed to block it using her elbow, but was forced sideways by the impact, and the spikes she had been holding in her hand dropped to the ground. Kuroko teleported up, aiming to hit the other girl's head with her feet – but she missed and hit the ground, and then the girl was beside her again, and this time her heel hit Kuroko's head squarely.

"Agh!" Head spinning, shooting pain erupted from the right side of her face. She turned around, planning to grab the blonde girl's leg and make her fall, but there was no one there. Eyes growing big, she felt the approaching attack from behind, and teleported herself to another part of the yard, although slightly missing in her calculation and ending up falling half a meter to the ground. The kick to her head made it difficult to concentrate on her ability. _Damn it!_

At once there was a frontal kick to her stomach, and she desperately crossed her arms down, managing to block it at the last moment.

_It's like she knows where I'm teleporting to._ Kuroko grit her teeth and used the opportunity while she was still in contact with the other girl's leg to teleport her to the ground on her back.

She hit it with a thud, but the effort of concentrating made Kuroko's head spin.

She clumsily pulled out a new spike. _Got you –_ but her thoughts were even interrupted, as the girl rolled backwards in one smooth motion and stood up, then – Kuroko could have sworn she saw her move forward, though it was way too fast for any human being – suddenly stood beside her, delivering a new kick to Kuroko's midriff.

The smaller girl was sent to the ground, coughing, pain coming in waves through her body. Rolling away and narrowly avoiding the next attack, Kuroko's mind worked like a maniac. _This isn't teleporting! _She thought angrily, getting to her own feet. _This is more like superhuman speed! _

Shetried to calm down and get her focus back; her ribs were sore, but most likely not broken.

The blonde was coming at her again; she teleported, sweat pouring down her face and breath heaving, to the middle of the open space. The other girl was there at once of course; but this time, Kuroko could indeed see her moving for only a fraction of a second, which would not have been possible had it been teleporting.

_But how does she know where I'm teleporting to? Does she wait to see where I appear, and at the exact moment she knows, she moves? That would take a lot of discipline to pull off!_

The blonde girl was sweating as well; using powers so intensely for so long was a strain on anybody. Kuroko teleported again before the kick could connect with her, and this time she saw the other girl still standing at their previous spot for about half a second before she was next to her again.

Besides, now that she was aware and looked closely, she even saw the dirt fly in a straight line from the spot towards her. It was definitively super human speed.

_I didn't want to do this, but this has got to end._ She was still holding a spike in her hand, and the blonde girl was aiming a kick at her head again.

Kuroko kept her gaze locked on the foot still on the ground; it would be basically on the same spot during the whole kick if this girl was any good, and it seemed she was.

Lifting her left arm and blocking the kick, Kuroko teleported the spike in place.

The girl screamed. Falling to her right knee, she reached for her left foot where the spike stood out, firmly planted in the ground through her shoe. She cried and clawed at the spike, but didn't have the strength, or perhaps lacked the courage, to pull it out. Kuroko wiped her forehead and took deep breaths, dusty and sweaty and feeling like drinking a whole bottle of water.

"You're quite good." She said to the wailing girl. "But if all you can do is move up to people in high speed and kick, it won't do any good against other high-level ability users. My guess is you're a strong level three."

"Take it out!" The girl cried, her face grimed and dusty, the tears creating visible streams down her cheeks. "You monster, take it out!"

"Although I understand your reaction, I find it offensive to be called such a thing." Kuroko sighed and pulled out her cell phone. "Unfortunately, I deem it best to leave it in until Anti-Skill arrives, in case you try something funny, like escaping for example."

"Gh." The girl looked like she'd been caught dead on.

The guys were still nailed to the ground, and they were swearing in disappointment, while Ruiko stared in awe at the power display she had just seen.

"Amazing." Kasuri said, sweat on her forehead even though she hadn't done anything. She was also staring at the two girls. "Is that Shirai Kuroko of Judgment?"

"Yeah." Ruiko said.

"Wow. Those kinds of people really are something, eh? I'm getting all jealous." Kasuri messed up her curly hair with a hand, sounding very impressed.

"If having abilities means you have to endure things like that, I think I'm glad I don't have any." Inu said thoughtfully. Ruiko silently agreed to that, but at the same time wished differently.

They all walked over to where Kuroko was standing, just putting her phone away, when the blonde girl suddenly cried out: "It's not my fault!"

"What?" Kuroko looked at her.

"It's not my fault!" The girl repeated, desperate and still crying. "I only did it because William-kun told me to!"

Kuroko sighed. "What kind of logic is that? You did it on your own accord, did you not?" She asked critically. Then her mind perked. "William-kun?"

"Ngh…" the girl bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Kuroko put her hands on her waist and stared at her. "By William-kun, you can't mean William Mustaf?"

The girl bit her lip and looked at the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks, but defiantly keeping her mouth shut.

So she suddenly decided to become silent, eh? Kuroko let out an exasperated breath.

"Silly," she said, "you have already said this much, you might as well continue."

The girl hiccupped and tried to curl into herself as much as possible, wincing when she accidentally tried to move her foot.

"Was it he who told you to attack me as well? Or was it the Sniper, perhaps?"

"No, I don't do that!" The girl protested, as if yanked out of her stupor. "I only attacked you because you interfered; I don't usually do that."

"Do you know people who are attacking others?"

"Most of my friends do, since it pays a lot better than only tagging."

"Who's paying?"

"Um, Shotaro or William-kun, I think…" her voice fell; she didn't know for sure.

Kuroko looked at her, mind churning. It felt like she had just dug up something amazing.

"Shotaro? Ah, Shotaro!" Ruiko suddenly exclaimed. "You don't mean Shotaro Hajime of Sakugawa high school?"

"No way!" Kasuri exclaimed before the girl even had a chance of replying. "That level four in third year? He's famous around school!"

"Right?" Ruiko nodded, grinning. "And William Mustaf too. I even heard that they're… you know…" She winked.

"Eeeeh?" Both Kasuri and Inu turned beet red at this, and Ruiko grinned smugly.

Kuroko rubbed her chin thoughtfully while the girl watched them, sweat running down her face. Kuroko of course knew about this Shotaro guy from before, but the discovery of William Mustaf having something to do with this as well was making her heart thump excitedly.

"What about the owner of the club, um, Miranda-san. What do you know about her?" Kuroko asked, trying to sound neutral.

"She's just letting us stay here." The blonde said almost stubbornly, as if she was trying to convince them she wasn't talking of her own free will. "But I don't think she has anything to do with the attacks, since William-kun has forbidden us to speak about that inside the club."

"Really." Kuroko straightened, hiding the fact that her heart was bumping with excitement. It was a valiant effort of self-control that kept her from shaking the girl to madness for answers. "Then do you know where 'William-kun' lives?"

For some reason, the girl blushed at this question and refused to look at them.

"No, I don't. He never told me." Taking a deep breath, she then said: "I think Shotaro knows. I don't know where he lives either though." Then, looking as if she was considering it heavily, she finally said: "They both do attend Sakugawa high school, though."

"I knew it!" Ruiko exclaimed. "No wonder word about this place has been spreading throughout our school!"

XXX

The four students was picked up and taken away by Anti-Skill, and Kuroko and the other girls gave a short explanation to one of the officers before being allowed to leave.

Kuroko advised them to have a chat with the owner of Hirama as well, though she doubted the woman had any valuable information to share.

After Anti-Skill left, she stood wondering how the next action would best be taken. They'd need to find Shotaro, and then have him relay to them where William Mustaf could be found. The best way to do that would be by having Uiharu work on it. That girl was an expert at digging up information.

She had taken a daring decision in not telling Anti-Skill these things. Fact was, Anti-Skill had seemed quite useless so far, barely making any moves at all, and she was afraid the only thing resulting from her reporting this would be an order to stay put.

Which she had no plans to do.

_I guess I'm looking at another handful of apology letters…_

_

* * *

_So, with this we're closing in on - *BANG - Office door opens*

_Kuroko:_ *huff, wheeze* Onee-sama!

Err... 

_Kuroko_: Onee-sama, where are you? *swiftly glances around the room*

Aaah, that's right, there's been two whole chapters now without Mikoto even appearing once, hasn't there? *nervous chuckle*

_Kuroko_: *fierce glare* What did you do to Onee-sama, you monster! *leaps forth*

Iiiih! *tries to fend off the clawing, deranged girl* She'll show up soon, I promise! I swear!

_Kuroko_: ONEE-SAMAAAAAA! *rip, shred*

Aaaaarg! I really hope not everyone gives their opinion of this story in this manner! Please just use the traditional way and leave a review instead!

_Kuroko: _ONEE-SAMAAAA!


	13. Wednesday, Evening, 1

**Wednesday, Evening, 1**

"Man, I was really shocked when I saw you two duke it out!" Kasuri said, and laughed. They were sitting in a café one block down from the club called Hirama, and were just about finishing their dinner (which had lasted at least an hour).

This area of district 7 was very western-inspired, and the food they were eating reflected that perfectly. Though Kuroko was used to having a wide variety of selections at her school, the other girls had been astounded at the strange meals available.

Ruiko introduced her friends to Kuroko, and they seemed okay enough. Kuroko's head felt better too, and would probably be all fine with a night's rest. For once she'd been in a tough fight without gaining severe injuries as a result. That girl sure knew how to kick, though, if nothing else.

In reality, she had no time to be sitting here enjoying a meal for such a long time, but Ruiko had convinced her that rushing back to headquarters without food would only deteriorate her health, and besides, she could do nothing right now but ask Kazari to start investigation. She'd done so, not even bothering to explain the details to her flower-headed companion.

Still, she was getting restless.

"You need to know how to fight like that to be a part of Judgment, right?" Inu asked, ripping her out of her thoughts.

Kuroko and Ruiko both sweat-dropped, imagining Uiharu trying to fight like that, and Ruiko laughed awkwardly.

"It _is_ part of training." Kuroko sighed.

"Man, that was _so_ cool!" Kasuri continued to gloat. "Suddenly over there, then over here, blocking a kick and –"

Kuroko looked outside the window while Kasuri went on describing the fight. She felt like her head was both very clear and very muddy at once. Thanks to this trip, she had more clues to work with, and an unexpected but very clear link between the tagging and the attacks.

But she didn't understand at all; why? Why were they paying students to tag those random marks all over? Why were they attacking people here and in district 15? Were the cases unrelated after all? Could it be two gangs having a go at each other? But why would they use Sniper and onee-sama's names? Her face grimaced in thought.

A weird noise suddenly broke through the voices of the other girls; they all stilled and tried to listen. It sounded like high-pitched moaning, dirty, x-rated, guttural sounds...

Both Kasuri and Inu blushed to an abnormal deep shade of red while Ruiko's expression turned aghast as she realized where the sound came from: Kuroko's skirt's pocket.

"Ah." Kuroko pulled out her phone without even the slightest hint of embarrassment, a chorus of gaping faces staring at her.

"Hello." Kuroko said.

"When are you coming back?" Kazari asked from the other end. "There's a ton of paper work waiting for you!"

"If you call me only to say that, I will hang up." Kuroko said, smiling brightly.

"No, no!" Kazari frantically said. "That's not why I called you. Jeez, you're so stingy!" She laughed.

"If you call me only to insult me, I will hang up." Kuroko was still smiling.

"Erk!" Kazari drew a deep breath and turned serious. "Shirai-san, why do you always act out of jurisdiction?"

Plucking at the remaining food on her plate with her fork, Kuroko said: "Regarding those matters I answer only to our superior. Did you find any info on Shotaro Hajime or William Mustaf yet?"

"I haven't had the time to start…" Kazari sounded like she was doing something on the computer while trying to talk in the phone at the same time. "There's been a lot of trouble with our firewall, and then Anti-Skill called."

"You talked to Anti-Skill?" Kuroko asked, interest peaking, turning away from the funny faces the other girls were making at her.

"Hai, Mazuka-san called." Mazuka was their contact at Anti-Skill. "I heard you fought a level three speeder, Akiyama Yuri, and three other students."

So that was her name. Kuroko had been thinking of her as "the blonde" ever since.

"They have apprehended the owner of the club as well, a Miranda Johnson." Kazari continued.

Kuroko couldn't say she felt sorry for hearing this. She hadn't liked that woman at all. "Did she know anything about the attacks?" She asked.

"Mazuka-san didn't say anything about that. Really, Shirai-san, just throwing me orders like that and not even telling me anything…" Kazari sighed deeply, but Kuroko didn't listen. If Mazuka-san couldn't tell them anymore, it meant Anti-Skill hadn't done anything more yet, or they were being extremely hush-hush about it. Secretive investigation usually only applied to extremely important cases though, so she doubted that was the case here.

Which meant Anti-Skill was as slow as always.

"Well, all is well so far then." Kuroko sighed and leaned into her chair. "I will be back within an hour, at least, unless you find some relevant information that needs urgent attention."

"Um, that's good, but all that just now was just gossip. Mazuka-san actually called because of something else…" Kazari sounded like she didn't really want to bring this up.

Kuroko grew serious at her tone. "What?"

"It's about Misaka-san."

…

"Man, I swear I will get enough money to go to the concert." Kasuri said, glaring at the table in determination. "I know a couple of other places to ask…"

"Are you sure about that?" Ruiko said, sweat-dropping.

"Absolutely! Do you doubt me?" Kasuri pretended to be hurt.

Ruiko looked doubtfully at her. "Not you, but your sources…"

Kasuri opened her mouth to answer when –

"WHAT!"

Their conversation was suddenly disrupted by the last member of their table exclaiming loudly. They all looked at Kuroko, who had turned white.

"Onee-sama was interviewed at Anti-Skill? Why didn't she tell me!" She screeched. The lady behind the counter where throwing her dirty looks at the noise, but she didn't notice.

"Misaka-san was?" Ruiko thought aloud. There had been plenty of rumors regarding claiming territories and what-not floating around school today. Some students even seemed convinced that Misaka-san was recruiting people for some kind of army. It had baffled her how ridiculous rumors can become.

Surely Anti-Skill didn't think it was true…

"Hai."Kazari confirmed into Kuroko's ear. "And they were going to send us a tagging order, but since there have been some trouble with our firewall, it hasn't arrived yet."

"_Tag_ onee-sama!" Kuroko sounded like she was both thrilled and mad at the same time, her pigtails waving like snakes.

"I tried calling her cell, but she didn't answer." Kazari said. "I thought maybe you have heard from her."

Kuroko drew a deep breath and settled down in her chair. Onee-sama acting suspiciously was nothing new, but when she parted with her in the afternoon, she'd had no idea…

"I haven't heard from her," she said, "I thought she was roaming the city, reading manga and what-not. Good grief, onee-sama, what are you doing? Running around solo again…" Sighing deeply, she then continued: "I'll be coming shortly, Uiharu. Let us discuss the matter then."

"Hai!"

Kuroko hung up and stood from her chair. "Something has come up at work; I have to leave."

She was so determined that the other girls could almost see smoke steaming from her head.

"Ah… right." Ruiko said, giving a small wave. "See you then."

Kuroko teleported out of there, making them all jump in surprise.

Kasuri stared at the spot where the long-haired girl had just been standing. "You sure have some weird friends." She said. Ruiko sighed.

XXX

It was already past curfew time.

That was nothing new though; sneaking in and out of the dorm after curfew time was becoming more like a sport every time. There were simply some things that seemed more important than following certain rules.

Like tracking down the Sniper.

Mikoto eyed the building before her with skeptical eyes. It seemed run-down and ragged, a crooked sign hanging above the door with the text "Okane Bar & Casino" barely readable.

She had worked persistently for many hours before finally finding this place.

First, to take care of the bothersome tagging order, she'd made Judgment's main firewall block all incoming emails using her trusty PDA. Hopefully it would take them a while to fix it, and in the meantime, she would not have to worry about them receiving that meddlesome thing.

Then, to find Sniper, she considered several options. In the end she opted for hacking into Judgment's database; she knew they had the info thanks to Konori-senpai, and it was less secured than Anti-Skill's, meaning less hassle to cover up the traces.

With Sniper's address and full name (Origawa Kamasuki, address in district 15) there were no need to hesitate in the next steps of her plan.

She went to her dorm to leave her schoolbag and grab some food from the cafeteria (running low on energy was what only a stupid person would do), told the dorm mistress she'd be in her room studying and would rather not be disturbed (whereupon the dorm mistress frowned deeply), and then took the train to district 15.

The trip was almost an hour long, and the sun was low on the sky when she arrived.

She searched the district, getting lost in the streets even with GPS, and finally found his home, but nobody answered the door of course. Already agitated by a mild, yet stubborn headache, she interrogated a neighbor, who was utterly startled and told her that "Origawa-san" usually spent his evenings at a local casino.

More internet probing and several wrong visits later, this was the place she arrived at.

She gazed at the building for a few more seconds, before determinedly stepping forward.

The door opened with a bang, and Mikoto entered a dank casino-slash-pub no young girls ever should venture into. She might as well have been wearing a red, curly wig and walking on stilts by the way people looked at her; from the hairpin in her hair to her brown Tokiwadai assigned shoes (not to mention her age), everything screamed outsider.

The men and women in the room stopped talking, staring at her with wide eyes. Only the rustling of a ball in the roulette penetrated the sudden silence.

_Jeez, why would anyone want to frequent this place?_ Mikoto frowned, but didn't linger at the thought as she scanned the room for anyone resembling the picture of Sniper, a bored expression on her face.

The place was filled with people who seemed old enough to already be out of college, sitting around small tables drinking whatever they desired and playing games she'd rather not participate in. So this was where all the losers wound up. Briefly, she imagined a certain spiky-haired idiot sitting in one of these chairs, and tsk'ed.

Not seeing anyone looking like her target at once, she trudged over to the bar and met the eyes of the bewildered bartender.

"Hi, I'm looking for the Sniper." She smiled brightly, and somehow, the silence grew even thicker. She looked around without turning her head, sensing the tense atmosphere.

"Who are you?" The bartender asked.

"Misaka Mikoto." She said without hesitation. Even if they knew of the Railgun, most people didn't know her real name. And even if they did, there was no reason to keep her identity secret here.

Somewhere further into the room, a guy who had been sitting at a table all to himself, surrounded by empty flasks, stood up. She recognized him from the picture she'd seen in the database; short black hair with a slightly longer front, and a bored look in his eyes.

She wondered why she hadn't seen him earlier, since he stood out only slightly less than her, and was much younger than the other guests.

The man strode over to the bar with his hands in his designer-jeans' pockets, and stopped a meter in front of her.

"I'm Sniper." He said, his voice hoarse. He didn't look happy. "What the hell does a little brat want with me?"

Bristling from his comment, yet keeping her temper in check, she said: "I'm here to talk to you!"

He glared at her, soaking in every detail of her form. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed the red Tokiwadai badge on her chest.

"Is that…" he stopped, and looked around, as if suddenly realizing the place was full of people. Looking back at her, he continued: "All right. Let's go outside."

He sauntered for the exit, leaving her no choice but follow him outside. Not that she minded leaving that dank place. Sniper continued to walk when they exited, and entered a back alley further down the street. A hundred meters down the alley was an empty space boxed in by several buildings.

Mikoto looked around at containers and boxes, and noticed the ground was littered with broken glass and paper several places. Apparently, the space was being used as a dumpster by the one building that had an exit out here, but other than that, there were no windows or openings were anyone could happen to see them by chance.

_Is he that afraid of publicity? _Sniper looked more like the kind of guy who would enjoy being surrounded by people, than a loner with no social antennas. Though if he didn't even want to have a talk without going to a place like this, he sure was shy.

The man stopped when he reached the other end of the open space, and she did as well, leaving a gap of more than ten meters between them. He turned and glared at her, hands in his pockets still.

"Is this your usual choice of location for a chat?" She asked, grinning crookedly.

He gazed at her, not humored. "Who are you, really?"

"What?"

"Your uniform. Isn't it from that Tokiwadai school or whatever?" He gave a short laugh. "Man, when they told me, I laughed in their faces, but I guess they were right after all."

"Who told you what?" She felt like she was being left out on a joke everyone else understood.

Sniper took his hands out of his pockets and studied the fingers on his right hand.

"You know, it isn't very likely for a container to fly through the air and hit you in the head, is it?"

"Eh?" She had barely turned her head to look at the containers sitting in a corner, when one of them suddenly lifted off the ground and then came right at her in an astonishing speed.

_What the –_

_

* * *

_Yeah, so, I was thinking 3 weeks till next chapter is fine, yes?

_Kuroko:_ *glaring, whip ready*

Err... I guess I can be convinced to post it sooner... 2 weeks?

*WHAP!*

ARRG!


	14. Wednesday, Evening, 2

**Wednesday, Evening, 2**

A flying container would hurt if it hit her in the head for sure.

She jumped backwards and let loose a ray of blue sparks, diverting the heavy thing into the wall instead. It hit it with a deafening bang, the wall even cracking at the impact, spraying dust all over.

"Yes, like I thought." Sniper said, still holding his hand in front of him and not looking baffled in the least. "Being from Tokiwadai, and being able to manipulate electromagnetism so quickly and with so much power as to counter my ability, there really is no doubt." He grinned at her. "You're Railgun, aren't you?"

"Does it matter?" Mikoto yelled, feeling annoyed by his better-than-you attitude. "Is throwing containers at people how you usually introduce yourself? I'm here to talk! There've been lots of attacks in district 7 –"

"Like I care about your petty problems!" He shouted, interrupting her. "You can't just waltz in here and expect me to budge like an obedient dog! I'm also level five!"

The other four containers came rushing at her, trash flying everywhere. She diverted them again, and they hit the walls around them, only one not properly following her lead, and she jumped aside to avoid getting hit. The container screeched along the asphalt before coming to a stop.

"What are you –" she started, and then found herself falling over her own feet and landing hard on the ground. _What the heck? _She didn't feel _that _woozy, even if there was a small headache forming in her temple.

"Let me play villain for a bit and tell you something about my powers." The Sniper was smirking. "You might already know, but it's a form of probability manipulation, and its uses are virtually endless." His smirk grew wider while Mikoto got to her feet. "While I can lower or heighten the probability of most things, for instance how likely it is for you to trip –" He grinned at her surprised expression, "– I do have a favorite way of using it."

He glanced at his fingers again. "You know what a sniper is, right?"

"Huh? Ouch -!" She shut her eye as a sharp pain erupted from her upper arm; droplets of blood poured out from a thin wound on her skin, like someone had dragged a sewing needle over it with just enough force to break it.

Sniper laughed. "A sniper attacks you from seemingly nowhere, and you have no way of avoiding it." His laughter died, and he just grinned. "There's a big difference, though. I use no weapon."

Mikoto gritted her teeth; it seemed unlikely this was going to go by peacefully like she had hoped.

"So, little miss Railgun. How are you going to fight something you can't even grasp the existence of, eh?" He put out his arms, as if inviting her to attack.

Mikoto glared at him for a second, and then grinned.

"If you won't listen to me…" she said, straightening up as her hair fluttered from the force emitted from her body, "I'll just have to _make you!_"

The lightning strike hit the arrogant man head on; or that was what it looked like. But as the electricity dissipated, Sniper was still standing, grinning broadly, and the wall behind him was sizzling black. Mikoto gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the dull throbbing of her head and the unsettling feeling in her gut. He wasn't even scratched.

"How unlucky," Sniper said, "your attacks usually don't miss, do they?"

"Gh." Well, she shouldn't expect anything less from a fellow level five. Being able to use your ability to defend yourself as well as attack was just common sense. Judging from his words, he was able to lower the probability of anything hitting him, or heighten the probability of it missing.

It didn't matter; either way it was a pain.

_How do I counter something like that?_

"You know, the reason you're ranked third and me sixth is because our powers are measured differently." He flexed his hand. "The rankings are actually quite useless. When it comes to pure force, you're one of the strongest. However, that force doesn't count for much if it can't hit anything!"

The littering glass on the ground between them suddenly rose from the ground and shot right at her. Mikoto clenched her teeth and smashed them with thunderous lightning strikes.

Sniper continued through the noise: "On a battle ground, what really counts is your versatility and strategy, both of whom you gain through experience. I'm sorry, but a pampered rich girl will never beat me!"

She cried out when several cuts gashed across her arms; first thinking some glass had come through her electric attacks, she then realized nothing had actually hit her; it was his power again. The cuts weren't too deep, but stung like a hundred bees, and made her eyes tear up.

She ran to the left, hoping perhaps a moving target was harder for him to hit, and directed another lightning attack at him in the process. The result was the same as the first time though.

Sniper was laughing.

_He's not Accelerator. He's gotta have a weakness._ Of course, even if he did have a weakness, he'd probably learned to cope with it. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Man, what a – "Guah!" – she tripped, and just as she fell saw the containers coming her way again.

Using her arms to cushion the impact with the ground, she charged her electricity and forced the containers aside, though they didn't move where she wanted and ended up smashing into the wall in random locations, raining debris onto the ground below.

She stood up, sweat pouring down her face both from the strain of fighting his powers and from the pain of her bleeding arms. She felt shaky, and punched herself mentally.

"Hey, you just gonna run around and shoot lightning?" Sniper grinned, not having even moved from his position yet. "This will be boring if you don't come up with some good counter-attacks. Of course, if you think you can't handle it, feel free to leave. I won't even tattle that you fled from someone who's supposed to be weaker than yourself."

"Gh." Even despite his mocking words, there was no way she'd just leave after coming all this way, even if she had to beat him to his senses.

Ignoring the pain in her arms, she raised her hands and formed a circle of iron sand around her; the metal extracted from the asphalt with electromagnetism, making it look like a grayish-black carpet of dust following her every whim.

He whistled, as if showing appreciation for such a move.

_Direct attacks are probably no good no matter what kind it is._ Her eyes darted around the place, and she noticed some pipes protruding from the wall on the building just above the arrogant guy. One of them was quite big.

_He'll notice if I go straight for it. Well then…_ She threw her hand out; the iron sand made two straight lines for the Sniper, vibrating like a deadly chainsaw. Sniper didn't even try to evade it, and sure enough, the lines seemed to somehow deviate from their intended target at the last second, missing Sniper with mere centimeters.

_Now!_ One of the streams hit the wall instead, where it left an impressive gash. But the second beam of iron sand headed upwards, and Sniper didn't notice what that meant before the noise of grinding metal made him look up.

"Sh –" he jumped forward and rolled on the ground, barely avoiding the falling pipes and debris from the concrete building.

He escaped with just minor scratches, but Mikoto still grinned. Using the iron sand still flowing around her, she struck the ground below him, asphalt spraying at his face. He shielded his eyes and staggered to his feet, not looking so arrogant anymore.

"So," she said, with a grin that didn't show any friendliness, "you can't affect the probability of things which you can't predict?"

"Gh." He didn't smile now. Even if he was a level five and more experienced on the battlefield, he was not used to fight those of his own level. He was surprised at how well she could use magnetism.

But he _had_ fought Electromasters before, and knew how they worked_. Electricity is the same no matter what level its user is._

"Even if you know that, what'll you do?" He said, forcing up another grin. "I know enough about your powers to counter anything you try!"

The iron sand flowing around Mikoto fell to the ground as if it was only normal dust.

"Eh?" _He bypassed my power that easily? _There was a 'CLANG' – she looked up, right at the pipe that came flying at her; the big one she'd just cut down. _Like that'll work!_ Charging her electricity, she directed the pipe away… or at least that was the plan, but just as the electricity sparked, it seemed to short-circuit, and nothing more happened.

Her face turned into one big 'shit!' expression just before the pipe hit her square in the stomach, forcing all air out of her lungs and sending her into the wall with a bang. It felt like her ribs cracked instantly. Groaning, she fell to her hands and knees and gasped for breath. Her whole body screamed in pain, and a coppery taste filled her mouth from a bit in her tongue.

"Hm, you see," Sniper grinned, "the probability of you being able to let loose electricity just went down by about… 95%, I'd guess." He shrugged, as if apologizing. "As long as I understand your power, I can counter it. So, what will you do, little electricity princess?"

Glowering at his words, she didn't know what to say to that. Maybe what he said was true; she didn't have much experience of fighting. The few blast-outs this summer could hardly count as fights.

Her powers were great in force, but his was just too idiotic to be logical; deciding what was probably going to happen? Jeez, if that was true, wouldn't he be able to do literally _anything_?

Then again… _he can't do that,_ she thought, wiping her mouth with her arm. Going by logic, nobody could have the power to make _anything_ happen. That would warrant something like level six, or even God. Most likely, the way he was using his powers was specialized; what was the probability of containers flying through the air anyway? He might have specialized in making things fly like that, and in making wounds appear on his opponent's skin like they'd been sliced by invisible knives.

But he couldn't possibly specialize in _everything. He can only manipulate what he understands or predicts._ She thought._ That means, if I use my power in a totally unexpected way…_ Her mouth formed a stubborn grin.

She stood up slowly, since her body was still not cooperating properly; her chest screamed in protest and her head was close to bursting.

Sniper was watching her with a confident smirk. _Well then glamour boy… how about this?_

For a spectator, it would look like nothing happened at all for the next few seconds. But had anyone with the proper measurement equipment been there, they would have been able to witness the alteration of both Mikoto's and Sniper's magnetic fields.

"Huh?" Sniper felt something not quite right in his body; then suddenly, he was being pulled, as if gravity had shifted, and he fell towards Mikoto like he would fall down a cliff towards the ground beneath.

She prepared her fist – and had it connect directly with Sniper's face, before they both tumbled over by the gravitational force and hit the ground.

"Ah - !" Sniper sat on his knees, clutching his nose. While he had been able to prevent it from breaking, it still hurt from the impact, and was oozing with blood.

Mikoto was breathing heavily in front of him, leaning back on her hands as she sat on the ground.

She was still bleeding, aching and feeling a bit woozy from the jolts to her body, but was satisfied with her success nonetheless. That was her last move though; her head was throbbing dangerously, and anymore now would probably knock her out cold.

"I don't – need to use electricity in its direct form, you know." She breathed, grinning. "But just in case, I won't explain to you what that means." Her chest was hurting with each breath.

Hoping he'd come to his senses, she said: "But now I'd like to talk, if that's okay with you. I didn't come here to fight you, after all."

"Eh?" He looked up, surprised.

She huffed at his clueless face.

"You think I'd bother coming all this way to pick a fight with a guy I've never met before? Jeez." She shallowly gasped for breath, but still managed to sound miffed. "As I tried to tell you before you started throwing containers at me, there have been lots of attacks in district 7, and all the attackers have claimed to be working for you."

"What?" He seemed genuinely surprised, which at least was somewhat reassuring. Then he looked down and gave a snort. "I see." He laughed and wiped his nose. "Man, to think I was punched by a middle school brat."

Warning blue charges crackled from her bangs, but her sight almost blackened, and she quickly stopped.

He grinned again and started getting to his feet.

"Of course, if I continued the battle now, I guess you won't be much of a challenge." He said. "But I don't make a habit out of beating up defenseless girls, being a gentleman and all."

He dusted off his clothes to the best of his ability, and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off his face. His nose had already stopped bleeding. If anything, he looked like he had tumbled down a slope and hit the ground head first, not like he had fought another level five ability user.

"Still, I haven't told anyone to do anything like that." He continued.

"I didn't think so." She said, eyebrows still twitching from his arrogant speech. _Defenseless girl?_

They were silent for some seconds, Mikoto still trying to catch her breath properly, and Sniper thinking, looking at her dirty clothes and the gashes on her skin.

"I guess I should've acted a bit more properly." He said. "I usually don't attack people like that, especially young girls."

"How reassuring." She said dryly. "Then, why did you attack me?"

"If I told you it was because I thought you were an old man, I guess you'll zap me."

"Damn well I will!" Though she had no strength left to do as much.

Sniper laughed, and then his face turned serious. "Well…"

Diverting his gaze, he continued: "The past few days there've been idiots all around, attacking me out of nowhere and saying the Railgun were claiming this territory."

He grinned stupidly. "I didn't believe them of course, but then you suddenly shoved up, and I was a bit drunk…"

Mikoto sweat-dropped, realizing this guy was an idiot who acted on impulses (not realizing she was not the right person to say that).

"You didn't contact Anti-Skill about it?" She asked, starting to get to her own feet despite the protests from her limbs.

"Hah, those morons?" He snorted. "Due to various past experiences, I've made sure they'll never find me." Running a hand through his hair, he said proudly: "Even if they looked right at me, they'd never realize who I am. No way I'd willingly approach _them._"

_That explains why they haven't been able to contact him, at least._ She sighed.

"As long as they can't get a hold of you, they think _I'm_ the culprit."

"Hmph. So what?" He looked down at her, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

'_So what?' I should fry a hole through your… _she drew a calming breath, and her chest stung horribly at the motion. This guy pretended to be a gentleman one moment, then turned completely around the next. Man, were all men jerks deep inside? Her eyebrow twitched again.

"Well, if only you would talk to them…" she tried, looking at him with a strained smile, "people are being hurt too, so the quicker we can find the real perpetrators, the better…" Her voice died down, since Sniper was looking at her with an expressionless face.

"Don't get the wrong idea here." He said. "I might admit I rushed into my decision to attack you, but that doesn't mean I'm suddenly your best friend and will help you in whatever problems you have." He turned his back to her. "Anyway, now that I know you're not 'claiming this territory' or being stupid enough to try and beat me up, I don't really care."

Without looking back at her, he started walking away. "You should leave; I lowered the probability of anyone finding this place while we fought, but when I go, that will be removed, and you wouldn't want to be found here with all this damage, am I right?"

He disappeared from view into the back alley, heading in the opposite direction of where they came from.

Mikoto drew a deep a breath as possible, the pain marking the abrupt stop. She was tired and beat-up, feeling unstable on her feet, and her mind was fuzzy.

How late was it anyway? Pulling out her cell phone while rubbing her throbbing temple and trying to ignore the other aches of her body, she noticed she had a missed call from Uiharu.

And seventeen from Kuroko.

She'd put it to silent mode earlier to not be bothered by it, and apparently, that had been smart. The digital clock showed 22:15. It was too late to call back now.

_Guess the dorm mother's gonna have my head…_ And what Kuroko would want to have, well, she didn't want to know.

XXX

The train stopped on the fifth stop of district seven, and Mikoto got off tiredly. It was the closest stop to her dormitory, but it would still be faster to go by bus the last stretch. It was already past midnight; the train had been empty, and there was no-one around the station. Even though most of the traffic ceased to operate around curfew to keep students from loitering about, there were a few unmanned trains operable throughout the night.

Though the lighting in Academy City was dimmed at night to save power, it was still bright enough to see the streets due to the summer atmosphere. The oncoming autumn was obvious only because of the temperature, which had dropped considerably since the sun went down.

It was chilly in the air, but Mikoto was sweating. Of course, it wasn't because it was hot outside. Her breathing was strained, and she felt numb all over. Her head was killing her, having grown steadily worse since the fight, and she'd woken with a jerk several times on the train, wondering if she'd passed out.

Was this a situation where one would go see a doctor? She didn't know; she couldn't concentrate on making a plan. She might have over-used her ability, if the extent of the headache was this much.

Stumbling as she tried to take a step, she gritted her teeth, feeling helpless. She'd been in worse conditions before, why was this so hard? Did Sniper do anything else to her? Who knew what he could do with his ridiculous power, like raising the probability of her dying on the way home…

She leaned into a nearby lamppost and gasped for breath. Her vision was turning blurry, the stairs leading down from the train stop seemingly miles away. The pain in her head was too much.

_This is bad._

"Uh…" before she knew it, she was falling over, and darkness came.

* * *

**_Probability manipulation_**

_ Ability to alter probability, causing unlikely things to happen or likely things to not happen._

I was browsing Wikipedia (how lame is that?) and then I saw this and went like "Wow! Yes! That's what I'm looking for!"

Next time: Naked loli's and random se - err, sorry, that was another story.


	15. Thursday, Early afternoon

**Thursday, September 21st **

**Early afternoon**

Her eyes opened as suddenly as if a bucket of water had been upturned on her head.

She was looking at a white ceiling, and the smell of antiseptics made their way into her nose. She even felt wet, though the reason would be sweat, not cold water.

Regular, beeping sounds sounded from her right side, and turning her head, she saw a heart monitor.

A hospital room.

Mikoto lifted her hands and rubbed her face, feeling dizzy. Feeling some kind of constriction on her arms, she gave them an once-over, seeing that they had been bandaged from elbow to wrist, and apparently her chest was bandaged as well. She was wearing a white hospital gown, the fabric soft and nice against her hot skin.

She turned her head and looked around. One wall of the room was adorned by closets, and there was a chair in the corner; other than that, the room was empty. The windows had the curtains drawn, but she could see the sunlight fighting to shine through. So the night was over.

She frowned. Her memories of last night were hazy, at best. She did remember being smacked into the wall though. As if reliving the moment, her body felt a twinge of pain; it was nothing compared to the stab in her pride though.

Just as she tried to sit up, her head and ribs complaining at the movement, the door opened. Almost expecting it to be Sniper coming back to finish her off, she tensed, preparing to electroshock him before he could do anything twisted. It was just a nurse with a trolley though, and Mikoto let out a breath of relief, before kicking herself mentally for being so apprehensive.

Seeing Mikoto, the nurse smiled brightly.

"Oh, you're up!" Cheerfully putting the trolley beside her bed, and then moving to pull the curtains open, she seemed more like a maid than a nurse.

The trolley was adorned with a tray with a bowl of soup and a glass of water. Mikoto's stomach growled, and her cheeks reddened.

"No doubt you're hungry," the nurse said, moving back to the bed and pulling out a stool to sit on from underneath it, she then picked up the bowl from the trolley. "Your body has been through a lot while you were asleep. Our top-notch treatment methods will get you back on your feet in no time though. Say 'aaah'."

Mikoto stared at the spoon in front of her for a moment, then looked at the woman's face.

"What –" She had opened her mouth to ask her what had happened, but instead found the spoon forced into it. She swallowed, and coughed, which made her head spin and her chest feel like it was skewered with spikes.

While the nurse was busy filling another spoonful, she cried, red-faced: "Don't force food into other people's mouth when they're talking! And I can eat by myself!" For some reason the nurse seemed depressed at this. Her gloomy face made Mikoto flinch, and she hurriedly said: "Ah, no, sorry, it's actually delicious!"

_Why am I apologizing?_ She sighed, but the nurse was beaming again and shoved a new spoonful into her face.

To say the food was delicious was an exaggeration, but it was okay at least, and the nurse joyfully explained how it was spiced with medication for her pains and bruises. While she felt like she didn't care so much for that at the moment, she did end up eating the whole bowl. Feeling comfortably full and drowsy, she fell asleep again before she could question the nurse about her predicament, and slept for many hours.

XXX

"IIIIIIIIH!"

What woke her next was a high-pitched scream. Jolting upright in bed, and grimacing at the pain shooting through her body, she looked at the door with a painful expression on her face. There stood Kuroko, mouth agape and hands on her cheeks, one even still holding her school bag.

"Kuroko…?" Mikoto forced out, before losing the battle with the pain and lying back down in bed. Apparently the pain relievers from that soup had worn out.

Kuroko instantly stood by the bedside, grappling the mattress like a ship-wrecked sailor would hang on to a plank.

"Onee-sama! Onee-sama!" She wheezed.

"Hai, I hear you…" Mikoto grinned uncomfortably, and then looked behind Kuroko at the other girls who had entered the room.

Ruiko and Kazari approached the bed looking worried.

"Are you okay, Misaka-san?" Kazari asked, hands clasped in front of her chest and eyes shimmering. Apparently seeing her idol ojou-sama being in pain was a cause of great distress.

"Mm-m, don't worry." Mikoto smiled. She wondered what time it was; most likely school had already ended. Kuroko would surely skip class to come see her, since she was an idiot, but not the others.

"You don't look so fine to me." Ruiko commented, looking skeptically at the bandages on her arms. Anyone who could send the Railgun to bed like this must be quite competent. She shuddered.

Mikoto gave a laugh that was obviously fake and smiled brightly. "It's nothing, really!"

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko leaned over the bed so Mikoto couldn't see anything but her worried face. "I heard from Anti-Skill – and rushed here at once! But they wouldn't let me in!" She put a hand to her forehead like the lover of the hurt hero in a tragic drama.

"Of course they wouldn't, visiting hours just started now." Ruiko said matter-of-factly. "Besides, no-one would let such a scary person into a hospital at six in the morning."

"You have to come home now, so Kuroko can treat your wounds and feed you soup and change you into your pajamas and –"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." A deep voice interrupted from the doorway, and while Kuroko turned with a displeased frown on her face, the others looked at the man questioningly. He was a bald, big man wearing a white coat, and carried an electronic clipboard under his arm. Obviously he was a doctor.

He smiled, and trudged over to the bed, stopping beside Kuroko. "I am Kichiro, your doctor." He greeted Mikoto. Then he looked at his clipboard, and addressed Kuroko: "We'd like to keep Misaka-san here today, in case her condition worsens."

"I feel fine." Mikoto said at once, not able to hide a wince as her head throbbed, and Kuroko looked at her pityingly.

"Still, three of your ribs are badly bruised, and you have a concussion." The doctor said. "Just to be safe, you'll be staying here for now."

"Hmph." She was bored already. Hospitals had to be the most boring places on earth. What, did the ones who built the first one think that 'hey! It can't be good for sick people to have fun, right? Let's make it exceptionally boring to be here!'? _I have better things to do than lay here all day!_

"I understand." Kuroko said, as though she was Mikoto's caretaker receiving news about her charge.

"If you need anything, just press the button on the wall, and a nurse will come." The doctor nodded to a big red button over the bed. "Well then, I'll be back later."

When he left, Kuroko grumbled and pulled out the stool from under the bed. Sitting down and crossing her legs, she said: "Really, onee-sama, running of on your own like that again – look what happens. Will you never learn?"

"I didn't –" she started protesting, then realized that was exactly what she'd done. She looked at the other girls, but there was no sympathy to gain with neither Kazari nor Ruiko either.

"Eh…" Great; now she felt absolutely horrible. But what could she have done? She couldn't ask Kuroko for help with that tagging order looming about, and the result would be that the other girl went alone to district 15, which was not even to be considered. Besides, if Sniper could reduce _her _to this state, she didn't dare think what he'd do to anyone else. _I won't let Kuroko get hurt because of this!_ Her hands clenched into fists.

Kuroko gazed dejectedly at her, as if she could read her mind. "Would you care to tell us what happened?"

"Hmmf…" Mikoto looked the other way, and several seconds of silence stretched out in the room.

Images from the fight with Sniper filled her head; somehow, she'd hoped it was all a bad dream, but the pain in her body was real enough. It hadn't been like any other fight she'd ever been in; even though she tried her hardest, in the end, only a moron would deny her loss. If Sniper hadn't come to his senses and decided to continue the fight, there was a fair possibility she would be lying in that back alley still, bleeding to death from his ridiculous ability.

Still, what good would telling these girls everything do? It was her own fault for seeking out the fool of a man, and he wasn't even the culprit, so basically, it had all been a waste of time. Dragging more people into her personal battles was just what she regarded as a violation of her morals laws. It would be best if it all cease to have happened.

"Aa-ah." Ruiko suddenly said, stretching her arms upward and looking at Kazari with a bright smile. "I thought I managed to get through that ojou-sama skull this summer, but apparently it was thicker than I thought."

Kazari gaped, white-faced, and Mikoto felt her chest contract tightly. Ruiko didn't look at her though, smacking a hand on Kazari's shoulder, and then looking at Kuroko.

"Come on, Uiharu, Shirai-san. We're not needed here."

"Eh…" Kuroko hesitated, not quite catching on yet.

Kazari, though, suddenly sighed. "You're right, Saten-san, I guess Judgment is useless to those high level ability users."

"And I'm only level zero," Ruiko sighed dramatically, "I guess whatever help I can provide with a bat isn't going to do it this time around…"

"Fine, I get it!" Mikoto huffed, embarrassed and bothered all at once. "No reason to be so stingy, jeez." Ruiko grinned triumphantly at her. She sighed, and then finally muttered: "You probably know already anyway, right? It was Sniper."

"Eh?" Kazari looked chilled, and Ruiko's eyes grew big. Even Kuroko seemed surprised. _They didn't know? Well, the cat's out of the bag now, I guess. _Huffing, Mikoto relented and told them everything that had happened the day before.

XXX

"So Sniper really isn't behind the attacks then." Kazari said, sounding enthusiastic. "That means it's William Mustaf, right, Shirai-san?" She looked at her fellow Judgment member, who was sitting at the stool by the bed still, hand on her chin while thinking.

"It does seem like it." Kuroko said. "But…" she looked at Mikoto, who was taking a breather after having talked almost non-stop for fifteen minutes. She was sitting semi-upright thanks to the electrical bed which could be adjusted in nearly all directions.

"I didn't know Anti-Skill did their interviews like that. It seems highly unorthodox." Thus said the girl who usually nailed her adversaries to the wall and then questioned them in the middle of the street.

Mikoto looked tiredly at her. "Really? I didn't really know what to expect, so…"

"We could check the reports from it later." Kazari said thoughtfully. Then her face lit up into a smile, and she leaned forward on the footboard. "But still, this means we can solve the case now!"

"Do not forget the fact that Judgment is not investigating this case, Uiharu-san." Kuroko said strictly.

"You didn't care about that yesterday…" Kazari muttered.

"Eeh? I thought Anti-Skill wanted your help in finding the culprits?" Mikoto said, looking from Kazari to Kuroko. The smaller girl shrugged elegantly.

"Apparently they do, but not in solving the case. However I went to the nesting place of the tagging incident's back man yesterday, and found information regarding William Mustaf as well, and I would hate to waste such a good lead."

"And then she fought a blonde girl who could move _really_ fast!" Ruiko exclaimed. "It was _so_ intense!"

"Aaah, I wish I was there to see it too!" Kazari complained, and Ruiko grinned proudly at her. Mikoto smiled and scratched her cheek, while Kuroko gave a small sigh, though she was smiling as well.

"Anyhow, apparently this Shotaro Hajime is a friend of William Mustaf, and I bet they have been working together on both the tagging and the attacks." Kuroko said. "My guess is that they used one to cover up the other, trying to get some attention."

"You're betting and guessing," Mikoto said dryly, "but doesn't it seem like a lot of work just to get some attention? And why bother going all the way to 15th district?" Her head started hurting from trying to make sense.

Kuroko sighed overbearingly and leaned back on the stool, even though there was no support for the back there. "Ah, onee-sama, there is no use trying to understand what criminals like them are thinking. They are not like you and me."

"I suppose…" Still, she couldn't help but doubt it was that easy.

"Either way, it seems this Shotaro knows where Mustaf is; we're going to ask him nicely about that. It took us a while since we couldn't skip school to investigate, but…"

Kazari, who had just checked the watch on her phone, suddenly gasped. "Ah, Shirai-san, we need to hurry!"

Kuroko looked up at her. "Oh, that's right. We have to go." She stood up, and smiled down at Mikoto. "Do not worry, onee-sama, I will make sure the ones who have given you so much trouble are arrested today."

Mikoto could do nothing else than force a smile back, and then, barking a "Let's go, Uiharu!", Kuroko and Kazari ran out of the room. _As long as they don't go after Sniper it's okay, I guess…_ though she felt this unsettling coil in her stomach.

Ruiko put her hands on her hips and hmph'ed. "Those two are always so busy." Looking back at Mikoto, she said: "Apparently they were up till late last night finding this Shotaro guy's shopping habits and what-not. It's amazing what you can do with some computer skills, isn't it?" She went to sit at the stool Kuroko had previously occupied, putting her bag on her lap and opening it.

"Um, yeah…" Mikoto laughed awkwardly, wondering if Judgment had fixed their firewall yet. She hadn't told that part of the story, fearing what Kuroko would do to her in her injured state.

"Anyway, I know how boring hospitals are, so – tadaa!" Ruiko pulled out a whole bunch of magazines from her school bag, amongst them at least three different manga collections. Mikoto's face brightened.

"Wow, thanks! You got these for me?" She accepted the magazines and looked through them, a genuine happy smile on her face.

"Well, I made Shirai-san pay for them, since I have no money. But it was my idea. She told me you usually stand-read manga, and I figured you could have the pleasure of actually owning them for once." Ruiko nodded importantly, folding her arms. Mikoto's smile turned awkward.

"Oh, really…" Just like Kuroko to tell everyone those kinds of things.

Still, she thought, it was a very nice gesture, and she smiled softly while looking at the magazines in front of her.

XXX

Kuroko was running, cursing silently to herself. She knew they had the correct data's: During lunch hour, Uiharu had found Shotaro Hajime's credit card trail, and by analyzing the information from the last two months they had observed his habits of grocery shopping.

Every single Thursday at around 5 pm he went to a store in area C, and spent around 4000 yen. It also seemed he was never late for school, and always went home in time for curfew. This guy was extremely reliant, in other words.

Still, because of some accident the autobus had been delayed, and even if she opted for teleporting the rest of the way instead, when she finally reached the store it was already a quarter past 5 pm. Why did there have to be an accident today of all days? Traffic accidents were really rare in Academy City to begin with thanks to advanced safety technology!

She had searched the whole grocery store, keeping his picture on her phone to make the comparison, but hadn't been able to find him. Uiharu then updated her that his credit card had already been used at that place ten minutes ago. Now Kuroko was running through the streets, hoping he'd go straight to his apartment.

"Have you found him yet?" She inquired into her phone, teleporting another eighty meters ahead to a spot no-one was currently occupying. Heads turned as she suddenly appeared; most people had never seen a teleporter before, and even if they had, you wouldn't normally see one teleporting around in the street.

"He's not on any – surveillance cameras I – have access to – now." Uiharu said, her voice being clipped every time Kuroko teleported forward. She was sitting by the computer in their office, rapidly pushing buttons on her keyboard and keeping an eye on five different monitors at the same time. Several windows with different surveillance camera's pictures where piled on each of them, and on her main screen, a tracking program was up as well, showing Kuroko's movements on the map using the signal of her phone as a locator. Ideally they would have used the same program to track Shotaro's phone, but it seemed to be powered off.

"Keep on searching." Kuroko said, and hung up, just as she teleported again.

It took her five minutes to reach the apartment block where Shotaro's address was at. It was a tall five-story building, accommodating mostly students like most such buildings in the city did, and it was surrounded by similar buildings on each side.

She looked at the doorbells beside the main entrance. It was the kind where you would push the doorbell to the room you wanted, and then the occupant would answer via a telephone system. The nameplates were digital, like most things in Academy City; there were names on most, but some were lacking. Even with such modern things, people sometimes forgot (or didn't care) to put in their name, and other times the technology failed. Basically, it was just as useless as regular nameplates.

But Shotaro Hajime was a tidy person, and his doorbell was indeed marked. Kuroko didn't hesitate before pushing it.

As she stood there, she suddenly became aware of people approaching from behind. A low snort made her turn halfway to look behind her. Six guys in their late teens were standing before her, grinning and snorting as they looked down on her.

"Hey, hey, little missy." The one in front said, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. "You don't look like a high school student. You lost?" He grinned. There was no way he'd missed the green armband on her uniform, which meant he was simply trying to intimidate her.

Kuroko huffed. "Do you know Shotaro Hajime?" She asked.

The guy sauntered closer, a confident grin spread over his face. "So you're the one trying to track down our buddy, eh?"

"Indeed I am." Kuroko said. "Do you happen to know where he is?"

"Oh, feisty, are we?" He stopped and leaned forward, his face mere centimeters from hers. "Seems like you need a reminder of when to stop sticking your nose into other's business."

"Before you do anything you should know that I am Shirai Kuroko of the Judgment and –"

"I don't give a shit!" He punched, and she teleported into their midst, making them all gasp and step back. The guy almost stumbled, and looked over his shoulder, bewildered.

Kuroko tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and sighed.

"Willingly letting yourself get surrounded, eh?" The guy said. "What a moron! Get her, boys!"

_Good grief_, Kuroko thought, as the guys charged. She _did_ try to warn them…

* * *

It's been so long since I wrote this now that I dunno what to say at all. Other than I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO MORE BIRIBIRI IN INDEX S2!  
As for Wikipedia, I use it. A lot. Sue me. God, I'm hungry _


	16. Thursday, Late afternoon

**Thursday, Late afternoon**

Ruiko returned to the room with a bag of fast-food.

"Tadaa!" She happily put it on the night table, and Mikoto's face lit up as she saw the grilled chicken with rice. Using a tray as a makeshift table in her lap, she arranged the food onto it, and took a bite.

"Waah, that's _so_ much better than the crappy hospital food!" Just as she said it, she imagined the nurse from earlier bursting into tears, and was suddenly pierced by her conscience.

"Yeah, you tell me!" Ruiko said, digging into her own food with eagerness.

Mikoto paused in her eating, remembering how Ruiko had been talking about how boring hospitals was, like she knew from experience.

"You've been to hospital before, Saten-san?" She asked.

Swallowing a mouthful, Ruiko said: "Yeah, when I was little, I once broke my arm, and had to stay in the hospital for a while. It was _unimaginable_ boring, and in the middle of summer too! And the food was absolutely horrible. Nothing but soaked vegetables." She sighed exaggeratedly. Then she looked at Mikoto with a curious face. "How about you, Misaka-san?"

"Aah." Mikoto looked down at her food. "I don't really remember much of it, but once when I was about five years old, I fell down the stairs and hit my head pretty badly. Apparently I had to stay in bed at a hospital for a week, and was bored out of my mind. All I really remember is that boring feeling, though." She laughed. Ruiko was staring at her, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. Mikoto noticed her look and halted her action of stuffing another piece of chicken in her mouth. "What?"

"You hit your head?"

"Um, yes…"

"Woaaah!" Ruiko suddenly stood up from the stool, eyes glittering. "Could it be that's why you developed your abilities! How amazing! Just like a TV drama!" Her gaze seemed dreamy as she stared at Mikoto.

"Uh, no, I don't think –"

"So all I need to do is hit my head into a wall or something! Man, to think it would be that easy!"

_Just how is that easy?_ Mikoto sweat-dropped. "Um, Saten-san, you shouldn't –" She was interrupted when the door to her room suddenly opened. Ruiko snapped out of her dreamy state and turned around, and Mikoto almost choked at the sight of the woman that entered the room.

"Ara, did I interrupt something?" The beautiful lady with narrow glasses on her nose and long, blonde hair falling elegantly around her shoulders, dressed as if for a night on the town in a purple blouse and skirt and high-heeled shoes, watched them amusedly.

Mahashi Kurina. And behind her, cold and glaring like yesterday, was the other woman, Otonashi Shizuka. She was wearing a black shirt and brown khaki pants today, not that it made her look any friendlier.

"Ah, no, no." Ruiko smiled and bowed. "I am Saten Ruiko, Misaka-san's friend. We were just eating."

"Oh, I am sorry to intrude then." Kurina smiled sweetly. Then she looked at Mikoto, who felt like she was being scanned by that intense, blue gaze. "I heard about your predicament."

Mikoto suddenly felt very clammy. Did they know she'd been to 15th district? Were they here to arrest her? She laughed nervously.

"How is your chest feeling?"

"Ah? Oh –" she was surprised at the question, and placed a hand to her chest, as if feeling whether it was still there. "It's getting better, so I guess it's fine..." the woman came to stand by the bed, looking down at her. Shizuka remained by the door, glaring at her like she'd done something wrong… Sweat was pouring down her neck.

"You're lucky Shizuka found you yesterday," Kurina smiled, "who knows what our dear Mikoto-chan's condition would have been had you been lying on the street all night."

"Eheh…" So that's how she'd ended up here. She rubbed her neck, wondering if she should say thanks to the angry looking woman. It didn't look like she'd care either way.

"Also, you'd be happy to know we have many new leads in the case." Kurina said. "I can't give you the details, of course, but let's just say you're almost off the hook."

"Oh… great." Mikoto grinned, though it felt unnatural. Was Anti-Skill really trying to solve this case at all? She didn't know how they worked or what they knew, but it seemed like Kuroko and Uiharu had found a lot more than the whole team of Anti-Skill investigators in the same amount of time.

"We have also opted for calling off the tagging order as of now. At least until tomorrow, or if something happens that makes us reconsider." Kurina was still smiling, but Mikoto sensed a sort of unfriendliness from her tone of voice. Still, she smiled back.

Kurina turned to walk away, waving a hand. "Then I'll leave you to your dinner. Bye bye."

"Bye…" Ruiko waved, and watched the two women until they left the room and closed the door. Then she turned to Mikoto. "Who the heck was that?"

Mikoto sighed. "Mahashi Kurina, she interviewed me at Anti-Skill yesterday."

"That woman you were talking about earlier?" Ruiko's eyes grew big. Then her face turned sour. "She did seem a bit creepy."

"Hm…" Mikoto took another bite of her food. Leaving this place suddenly couldn't happen fast enough.

XXX

In another part of the city, six guys were defeated in less than two minutes. Some were hanging on the wall, two were nailed to the ground, and the last one was groaning while lying on his back, having received a full frontal kick to his groin. The middle school student whom they had been fighting stood before them, not a scratch visible on her skin, and not a speck of dirt on her clothes. She was even holding her school bag still, making any passerby's think she had just beaten them up with only one hand.

Actually, that would not be far from the truth.

"And?" Kuroko asked, looking at the man in front of her who was clutching his private parts in pain. "Are you supposed to work for the Sniper as well?" She gave an arrogant snort. "Even if you say that, I don't care. Where is Shotaro Hajime?"

"Guh." The guy had tears running down his cheeks, and seemed unable to talk.

"Hmph." She looked at one of the guys hanging on the wall, and he flinched, sweat pouring down his face. "I suppose I could as well ask you, right?" She smiled.

"I – I'm sorry!" He exclaimed. "I'm really, really sorry! We were just given the orders to stop anyone trying to track down Shotaro. We didn't know it would be someone like you!" He was crying too now. It was really weird to see high school students cry in front of a first-year middle school girl. Kuroko had seen it plenty of times before though.

"Your stupidity gives me little information." She said. "Speak, before I teleport this right into your body." She held up a spike, and the guy winced.

"Shotaro knew he was being tracked!" He cried. "He gave his credit card to another guy, who went to the store for him."

"That is all well and good, but where is Shotaro?" She was starting to get impatient, and the guy cried even louder: "He's supposed to be in the base, that's all I know!"

"Base?"

"There's an abandoned warehouse in the old warehouse district close to area D." He told her. "We've been using it as a base; that's where we'd return to get our payment and new orders and such."

"I thought Hirama was your hangout spot." She said.

"Well, yes… but only for the tagging." He said, relieved now that she seemed to forget about threatening him. "There are a lot of students interested in the tagging that doesn't know about the attacks."

"Oh, really." She tucked the spike she was holding back into her thigh belt, and the guy let out a deep breath. She considered calling Anti-Skill and have them apprehend the guys, but on the other hand, she didn't want to risk them finding out that she was chasing Shotaro, since Judgment was not officially on the case. They would probably order her to stand-by.

"Thank you for your help, then." She said, and left them there, pulling out her cell phone to contact Uiharu again.

XXX

She wasn't surprised at finding several abandoned warehouses in the old warehouse district. However, with Uiharu's guidance she found the one the surveillance cameras in the area had picked up activity by during the last few days.

She entered the big building labeled "7C15" after she and Kazari had discussed and agreed on calling Anti-Skill anyway. No matter what may happen to them for acting out of jurisdiction, the most important thing was to capture the criminals. Even Kuroko agreed to that.

What met her sight inside the warehouse, except from what you'd normally expect like empty containers and boxes, was one lonely man in a black leather jacket, his dyed, red hair making his face look even paler than it already was. Kuroko wrinkled her nose; really, it was just too cliché…

"William Mustaf." She declared, voice echoing, walking into the vast room while at the same time keeping her senses on alert for any accomplices in hiding. The boxes scattered about, not to mention the few empty containers littering the place, could easily hide a person or two. Shotaro had really prepared himself; she did not for one second consider this a coincidence.

Well, at least he'd made it easy for her to find her target.

"Oh, you know my name?" The man grinned. "I was wondering who'd be stupid enough to come here all by themselves. No wonder it's a Judgment member." He looked at her uniform. "And from Tokiwadai, nonetheless." He seemed to be sweating, and Kuroko stopped in front of him, leaving a few meters between them.

This was the guy who'd fought onee-sama at the bridge three nights ago? He didn't look like a powerful foe at all. Of course, judging anyone from appearances would never give an accurate result (she herself was a good example of that), but she couldn't help it.

"I find it ironical that when trying to find you, I get directed to contact Shotaro Hajime, and when trying to track _him_ down, I happen to stumble across you instead." She said dryly. "It is turning into quite an amusing game of catch, don't you think?" She smiled like a fine lady would smile to a lower ranked member of society.

Mustaf grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. His forehead seemed slick and wet, like he was sick. Kuroko turned serious, looking at him worriedly. "Is something wrong with you?"

"Ahahaha." He laughed, but it sounded more like he actually said the sounds, as if he forced them out. He raised one hand to pull it through his hair, and Kuroko could see he was shaking.

"You know what?" His eyes looked wild. Kuroko took a step backwards, suddenly feeling like she was trapped. "I'm just peachy fine!"

And he charged ahead, straight for her. Kuroko waited for him to come within reach, then teleported herself behind him, and put a hand on his back in order to put him to the floor – but her hand retracted at the intense heat rolling from the other body, a sizzling feeling of something burning through her flesh almost instantly.

"Sh!" She bit down on a shout of pain as her palm stung horribly. Mustaf was laughing when he turned, his eyes shimmering feverishly, and punched at her. Kuroko teleported farther away and pulled out a couple of spikes with her unhurt hand, already feeling the strain of concentrating through the pain. There was no choice; she'd have to secure him at once, even if it meant risking hurting him.

"Haha, you think I'll let you!" Mustaf laughed, and suddenly the spikes were too hot to hold. She dropped them, wincing as blisters formed on her fingers. Mustaf ran towards her again, and she teleported before he could reach her, landing on top of one of the empty containers and taking a few moments to catch her breath and think.

She had fought pyrokinetics before, but not one like this. He seemed delirious, yet fought expertly. Already both her hands were hurt, and she had trouble calculating her movements. It'd be bad if she was rendered unable to teleport. She'd have to incapacitate him quickly.

Just as she looked on the man on the ground beneath, a fireball the size of a football was coming in her direction. _This is…_ she teleported again, and the fireball hit the metal wall, which sizzled and melted into a weird form. _…not good._ She landed on the ground, pulling out a new spike while ignoring the pain from her burnt fingers. She then looked at Mustaf, and stiffened.

The air was shimmering like it would in a desert or on an extremely hot day, as if being heated up. Through the distorted air, she saw Mustaf – however, she couldn't exactly _place_ him. The waves were making his image twisted, and she was unable to calculate where he was actually at.

She gritted her teeth, and tried for teleporting the spike anyway, before he could make it burn her again. He laughed; obviously she'd missed. Then another fireball was coming her way, and she teleported again. Leaning against a container, using it as a wall between him and herself, she gasped for breath. She was sweating, her clothes sticking to her slim body like they were glued on, and the heat and the pain from her burns were gnawing at her concentration. _If only I could teleport the whole container…_ The possibility of hitting him would be greater, but there was no way she'd be able to teleport such a heavy object. She clenched her eyes shut, imagining Mikoto's face had she seen this scene. Onee-sama's overprotective nature would surely kick in, and Mustaf would be reduced to a smoking heap on the ground.

"You know, I fought your schoolmate." His voice reached her from a place on the other side of the container, no longer echoing since the air in the room had shifted. "You Tokiwadai girls are really something, eh? She was just playing with me." Kuroko grinned tensely. It was as if he'd read her mind.

"I had never fought a level five before," he continued, "and she could have ended it in the first move, but didn't. My powers seemed like nothing to her even when she was holding back. But still, she never gave me the chance of showing her my favorite move."

Kuroko wiped her forehead, fighting for breath in the too-hot room, and concentrated on thinking strategically. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. Even a level five could only use their full potential for a limited amount of time, and this guy was only level four. He should soon be collapsing. Anti-Skill were on their way too. So, if she could only avoid him for a few more minutes –

"So, I'll show _you_ instead!" He shouted. "Behold my Overheat!" It chilled her spine even in the discomforting heat. His words were accompanied by an unsettling increase of heat, and she felt the container she was leaning against starting to heat up; she hurriedly teleported away, and was hit by a heat blast. _Damn, did I miscalculate?_ But as she shielded her eyes from the burning wind, she realized it was like an explosion; as if the heat was being thrown in every direction from a center. It singed her skin effectively, but it was fairly weak for being labeled a "favorite move"; possibly a result of him having spent so much energy on his air mirage effect.

As the wind died down, the burning sensation lingered on her skin. She turned her stinging face, and saw him through her dry eyes; he was grinning at her through the distorted air, a fire ball already growing in his hand.

There was no time to think. She had to shut out everything else, even ignoring the pain covering her body; desperately she pulled out a spike, and even though his gaze narrowed and the metal heated up, she bit her lip, made a rapid calculation, and teleported it.

Had it been thrown, it would probably have melted before it reached him, but that's how Kuroko's ability is superior to mere throwing of objects; it simply _appears_. And whatever is already there when the object appears, is forcibly moved away. Like concrete when teleporting glass. Or like dust, when teleporting herself. And right now, what had to give way for the metal spike she had just been holding in her blistering fingers, was William Mustaf's left eye.

"Aaaaah!" His scream filled the open space, his flames dissipating, and he fell to his knees, clutching the spike protruding from his eye with a soul-wrenching cry. Kuroko sat on the ground, breathing heavily and with a severe feeling of burns all over, sweat pouring down her face. She hadn't particularly aimed for his eye; she'd aimed for what seemed like the center of the air mirage, and wherever she hit (or even _if_ she hit) was a wild guess. It was just luck that it hadn't reached his brain.

She looked at the floor, not really wanting to see him clawing at the spike and not mustering enough courage to pull the offending object out.

Nausea filled her stomach. Then a horrible sound filled her ears; it screeched into her brain, as if it would split it cleanly in two, and she smacked her hands over her ears even though it didn't help at all. The door to the warehouse suddenly opened, and a dozen armored Anti-Skill members entered, equipped with guns and helmets. Uiharu had probably told them the possibility of them meeting a hostile ability user, thereby the use of Capacity Down. Too bad it didn't know the difference of bad guys and good guys.

"Lay down on the floor!" A voice yelled through the insistent screeching. Kuroko had no problem obeying that, and rested against the concrete ground. Mustaf was still screaming, and two Anti-Skill members rushed forward to secure him. "We need medics!"

That was the last Kuroko registered before the sweet relief of darkness finally released her from the pain.

XXX

Mikoto stretched contently. Being in her own clothes again was great; being _outside_ was like heaven! After what felt like eternity in the hospital room, a doctor had finally come by and given her a check-up; her ribs were still sore, but they would heal, and her head was fine. She was discharged.

Leaving the hospital felt like leaving jail, and she drew a deep breath of fresh air that didn't smell of antiseptics. Even though she still had bandages on her arms and chest, she was as good as free of anything hospital related.

She took the first bus to Judgment headquarters, where Ruiko had said she'd be heading when she left the hospital earlier. The longhaired girl had stayed with Mikoto for almost three hours, and though she was glad, she also felt bad for keeping the other girl in that boring place for so long. Ruiko had insisted it wasn't boring of course.

"Yohoo!" She cheerfully pushed open the door to the Judgment office, and the three people inside all turned to look at her. Uiharu and Saten smiled instantly.

"Misaka-san!" Uiharu leaned forward in her chair. "It's good to see you up!"

"Hm-hm," Mikoto grinned, and closed the door behind her as she entered the room. "Where's Kuroko?" She was somehow relieved at not receiving an assault to her bruised ribs just yet, but also looking forward to seeing her roommate's stupid face. Her words had an unexpected effect though; Kazari's face turned grave, and Ruiko looked away.

"Eh?" She halted midway into the room and looked at them all, lastly to the oldest, Konori Mii. She too, seemed all too serious. "What's wrong?" She was suddenly feeling unwell. The worried look on the senior Judgment member's face was unsettling.

"Shirai-san…" Konori-senpai started, then seemed unable to continue, and looked at the computer screen beside her.

"Eh?" Mikoto came nearer, close enough to read the text in the open e-mail on the screen. She read aloud; "William Mustaf has been apprehended by the Anti-Skill. He was found on site at 6:30pm after having battled Shirai Kuroko of the Judgment. They have both been transported to the Anti-Skill hospital in area C to receive emergency treatment… No way…" she felt empty, like someone drained all feelings out of her at once. The e-mail continued with saying how Mustaf had seemingly ran amok, and the warehouse sported damages from his rampage. Kuroko had been found with severe burns covering her entire body…

Her skin grew cold. Kuroko… she shivered, and her fingers twitched involuntarily.

"We were just talking about going there." Ruiko said softly. "It's been almost two hours since the mentioned time… though we don't know the damage, but perhaps…" she trailed off.

Mikoto stared at the computer screen, not able to even think of any suitable action. Mustaf… Mustaf had… but he was caught too, and was even receiving treatment, so he must be hurt as well…

Her jaw shivered, and she bit her teeth together, forcing it to stay still, as her shoulders tensed. Kazari saw the guilty look in her eyes, and reached out for her wrist.

"Misaka-san…"

"Haah, let's go then!" Mikoto turned suddenly, effectively avoiding Uiharu's grasp, and sporting a big, fake smile on her face. "Kuroko will chew us off if we don't come rushing over! Haha!"

The other three girls shared a worried look, but Mikoto didn't see that. She was too busy feeling the enormous amount of guilt chewing up her insides. _Why did I let him go!_

XXX

Kuroko was pretty badly hurt, and she would have to stay the night at the hospital. Even with the miraculous salves and treatment of Academy City, it would take several hours for her to regain full use of her body. Mikoto felt miserable when seeing her bandaged hands and red skin. She had burns all over her body, and even though none were life threatening and she kept smiling and seemed thrilled at Mikoto having been discharged, it was obvious she was in a great amount of pain. Mikoto wished she'd yell at her instead.

"Really, after giving Misaka-san the same lecture, you go ahead and do something just as stupid." Ruiko gave her a chastising look, and Kuroko smiled sheepishly.

"Maa, I guess onee-sama has a bigger influence on me than I thought…"

Mikoto stared at the floor, teeth gritted as she fought the battling emotions inside her chest. She wanted to scream, cry and electrify her surroundings to smithereens; her fists were shaking with the effort of keeping it all in, and she ignored the looks she received as she left the hospital room.

Walking home to the dorm, she kept staring at the ground, her hands still loosely clenched. She didn't notice what went by her, and her mind felt utterly empty. It felt like the case should be over, but at the same time, it wasn't; that Shotaro guy was still on the loose, and something… something just wasn't right. But she was unable to think about all that; in her mind, she only saw Mustaf's arrogant face, and Kuroko's bandaged hands, and her chest constricted painfully.

_Kuroko, you idiot!_

_

* * *

_Having Kuroko and Mikoto fight the same opponent on different occassions turned out to be quite interesting - the difference in power just becomes so glaringly obvious._  
_


	17. Friday, Morning

**Friday, September 22nd **

**Morning**

"Good morning, my beautiful onee-sama!" Kuroko's shrill voice was the first thing Mikoto heard in the morning. Still half-asleep, her cover was drawn away, leaving with a chilling breeze over her skin and revealing her green pajamas. She hugged her pillow closer and groaned. "Onee-sama, the bathroom is all yours now." Kuroko said sternly. "You need to hurry to not miss breakfast."

"I'll skip…" Mikoto mumbled, shutting her eyes even tighter.

"No, we can't have any of that!" Kuroko happily declared and smacked a hand on her leg. Next thing Mikoto knew, she was sitting on the bathroom floor. Being teleported so early in the morning was a sure awakener, and she was almost back into the world of the living when Kuroko entered the bathroom as well. She was already dressed in her school uniform, and smiled brightly.

"Eh?" Mikoto was awake now, and stared at her roommate in bewilderment. "_Kuroko!_ What the heck are you doing here?" She surely hadn't dreamed that she visited her in the hospital? The other girl still had bandages on her hands, so it was most assuredly real. Her face was also redder than normal, but seemed a lot healthier than the evening before.

Kuroko was smiling as she pulled out the first-aid kit from their bathroom closet. "I was discharged this morning. Of course I came here at once… now, onee-sama, let me look at those bandages for you -!" She said in a sing-song tone and stretched out a hand towards Mikoto's chest.

Mikoto instantly slapped it away. "What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot!"

"Ara, onee-sama, if anyone saw your face they would think _you _were the one with the burnt skin…"

"J-jerk! I can do it myself!"

"Oh really?" Kuroko gazed at her contemplatively. "I didn't know you could use electricity to bind bandages around your own chest."

Mikoto just glared at her, beet red. There was certain parts of her body she'd never let this pervert coming close to.

Kuroko sighed, and kneeled in front of her and grabbed her arm abruptly, starting to unwrap one of the bandages with her own bandaged fingers. "Let me help you with these then, at least."

"I can do it myself, you know. You're worse off than me." Mikoto refused to look at her roommate's bandaged hands.

"I've had salves treatment all throughout the night and the burns are almost all gone," Kuroko said importantly, "However these gashes seem rather stubborn, don't they? Didn't they treat them properly? Really, not giving proper care to onee-sama..." Kuroko sighed, and pulled out a bottle of salve and a new roll of big plasters from their first aid kit.

"Why are you acting all heroically?" Mikoto asked dryly. She looked at her arm, and the wounds that had been uncovered. They were flaming red, and still stung when touched, but they didn't look like their fierce, bleeding counterparts from two nights ago at all.

"Aaah, to see your beautiful skin stained by such atrocities! Kuroko will make it all better!" The pigtailed girl poured salve on a piece of cloth and gently wiped the gashes, before starting to put one big plaster on each of the wounds. Mikoto stared at the wall, a troubled expression on her face. Silence filled the room while Kuroko worked. As she finished up the last of the wounds on her other arm as well, Mikoto finally looked back, and her expression was almost grave. She couldn't meet Kuroko's eyes, and merely gazed at her own arms.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Eh?" Kuroko's eyes widened.

Mikoto gave an irritated sigh. "I'm sorry! I let him go – I let Mustaf go, that night!" She drew her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "If we'd arrested him there, you wouldn't have… all those people wouldn't have…" She gritted her teeth and hid her face in her knees.

Kuroko watched her solemnly, and then gave a small sigh. "Well, seeing as how he's now detained by Anti-Skill, it all worked out in the end." She knew her onee-sama would still feel guilty. Mikoto's kindness was part of why Kuroko liked her so much as to protect her from all the badmouths out there. Even though onee-sama always tried to act aloof and uninterested, Kuroko knew her real feelings.

Mikoto frowned, clearly not convinced. She stood up, only grimacing slightly when her ribs protested, and went over to the sink to splash some water in her face. She wanted to shower, feeling like it would cleanse all the guilt away, but didn't have the energy. She leaned on the sink, looking at the droplets disappearing into the drain. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't come up with any action that would make her feel better. Her insides knit with anger every time her thoughts strayed to the subject. She blamed only herself; for letting the bastard go, for seeking out Sniper and getting beat up, for letting Kuroko face Mustaf… Her hands gripped the sink tightly.

Even if she did go out there, where could she start? Who should she track down? And there was no way she could do anything without Kuroko or Uiharu finding it out.

"I guess you're right." She said at last.

Kuroko could see she was still bothered; really, her body language was a whole story in itself. But she also knew that when Mikoto acted like this, she wanted the subject closed. So instead of pressing her, she put on her devilish smirk.

"That's my onee-sama! Now let's get you changed!" And on that note, she gripped her pajamas and teleported it away, leaving the older girl in only bandages and panties. Mikoto's face turned beet red, and Kuroko smirked, before hurriedly teleporting herself out of there as well.

"KUROKO!" The angry shout reverberated throughout the whole dorm.

"I'll be waiting downstairs, onee-sama!" Kuroko happily announced, and escaped from the room.

XXX

"Jeez, that moron." Mikoto growled as she entered the cafeteria ten minutes later and looked around for Kuroko. She saw her underclassman sitting at a table all to herself as usual, and still grumbling at her remaining annoyance, she walked over, ignoring the girls at the other tables completely.

"I will talk to the gym teacher and explain to her that you cannot participate in today's lesson." Kuroko said importantly as Mikoto sat down, splitting her chopsticks.

"I can do it myself." Mikoto said, grabbing her own pair.

Kuroko lifted her hand dramatically. "No, onee-sama, leave this to –"

"I can do it myself, Kuroko!" Mikoto snapped, and then froze, staring at the rice bowl in front of her and feeling all alien to herself. Kuroko looked at her both in surprise and worry.

"Enjoying breakfast, Misaka, Shirai?" The stern voice of their dorm mistress made them both freeze in terror. Kuroko mechanically turned her head and gave an unnatural smile. There was nothing to be afraid of, since they for once had done nothing wrong, but the woman's presence always seemed to enforce some kind of survival instinct in them.

"It's delicious as always, ma'am." Kuroko forced out. The dorm mistress studied her squarely, then looked at Mikoto, who was smiling stiffly. She saw the bandages and the plasters on their arms. A small drop of sweat left the dorm mistress' forehead and trailed down the side of her face.

Hurriedly, she turned around. "Don't be late for the school bus!" She marched off.

Kuroko let out a relieved sigh. "For a second there I thought it was all over."

Mikoto didn't answer, looking too serious for her own good as she stared into her bowl, and after a couple of seconds, Kuroko smiled and shrugged. "At least it's a short day today!" She ate another mouthful of rice. Mikoto reacted at her words, eyes focusing on the food in front of her.

"Oh, right, it's only half a day because of the teacher's meeting." She looked outside the window at the sunny morning.

"I have several things I need to do," Kuroko said importantly, "tracking down Shotaro tops the list of course."

A knot appeared in Mikoto's stomach, and she slowly poked at the food in front of her. "He really is the culprit, I guess…"

"Well, that would seem like the case at this time." Kuroko said. "We will know more when Anti-Skill has finished questioning Mustaf. Due to his… predicament, they couldn't do it yesterday."

Did her voice just shiver? Mikoto looked at her solemnly, wondering just what kind of injuries Mustaf had sustained when fighting her roommate.

"Have there been any more attacks?" She asked, gazing at her food again.

"As far as I know, there were two more attacks in our district yesterday, but no serious injuries. There were none in district 15."

Just like Kuroko to be fully updated even if she'd just gotten out of hospital. Mikoto stopped poking around in her food and put the chopsticks down. She couldn't help it; she was wondering whether Sniper had spoken the truth. He had seemed believable enough, but that kind of guy might as well have been lying. If he was truly behind the attacks, then he would have prepared something to make it less suspicious, right? So the attacks in district 15 in her name could be explained as diversions or some other. Still, in that case, what could his motif be? On the other hand, evidences seemed to be pointing quite squarely at that Mustaf guy… but why would he even do this… She groaned. Right now, she couldn't even figure out why she'd gone to see Sniper at all. It had made perfect sense that moment at Anti-Skill headquarters, yet now that she looked back, it would have made more sense if she'd gone to find Mustaf.

"Onee-sama." Kuroko's voice dragged her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at the other girl. She was standing, smiling gently. "We have to leave; the school bus is already waiting."

"Ah, sure." She stood up as well, leaving her breakfast barely touched.

XXX

Tokiwadai middle school was glittering in the sunlight, polished surfaces shining and waiting for a new day. Chatting females of different origins were walking over the beautiful grounds towards the main entrance. Though the girls all looked different, they had at least one thing in common: Money. Kuroko and Mikoto was no exception to this. The Tokiwadai school bus stopped in front of the iron school gates, and the duo disembarked together with their fellow schoolmates. Kuroko stretched in a ladylike manner once outside.

"Let's go, onee-"

"Misaka-san?" An emotionless, hoarse voice interrupted. They both turned, and while Kuroko looked at the unfamiliar woman questioningly, Mikoto's face froze. Before her stood the woman from the interview at Anti-Skill, the one who had been accompanying that Kurina woman when she came to visit in the hospital yesterday. She was wearing what was probably her civilian attire, gray shirt and brown khaki trousers, no sign of her being with Anti-Skill anywhere. But Mikoto recognized her face and short-cropped hair. Some of the other students threw glances at the strange woman who quite sorely stood out amongst the wealthy, elegant ladies of Tokiwadai.

The woman nodded slightly as a greeting. "I am Otonashi Shizuka." She introduced herself. "Due to various reasons, the agreement from yesterday has been acted out. I am here to keep you company throughout the day." _Even at school?_ Mikoto groaned and rubbed her forehead. So Anti-Skill had decided to carry out the tagging anyway, and even opted for doing it themselves.

Kuroko bristled, like a rooster readying itself for a fight. "I thought Judgment was given that task." She said, her tone sweet. "And as you can see, I am already with her. There is really no need –" she was interrupted by Shizuka shoving a paper into her face. "Eh?" Taking it, she read the few lines: "'Judgment has been relieved of this case and Anti-Skill will tag Misaka Mikoto until further notice.'" Her face fell. "Just like that?" The official seal of Anti-Skill at the bottom told her that it was, indeed, just like that.

Shizuka ignored her and looked back at Mikoto, who felt like the lucky winner of a mud-eating contest. "I will stay in the shadows, and you won't be bothered by me." She said, as if it were an order. "Be warned that if you try to shake me off, we will track you down with any means."

"Gh." Mikoto averted her gaze.

"Well, then!" Kuroko said, displeased. "Let us go, onee-sama." She marched on through the gates, and Mikoto went after her. Shizuka didn't follow at once, but probably wouldn't be far behind.

When they entered school, Kuroko went another way; first-years and second-years had classrooms in different parts of the building. Mikoto waved after her, smiling, and as soon as the last pigtail disappeared from view, her expression fell and turned tired. The first two hours were gym. She couldn't possibly run around with her ribs being as they were, so she had to find the teacher and explain to her. Her stomach turned at the thought. She wasn't really thrilled at having to explain her teacher exactly why she couldn't join the gym lesson. Also, did Anti-Skill even know why she was injured? They hadn't said anything at the hospital, but… aaah, no reason wondering about something she couldn't know the answer to. Whatever happened would be met head on. She marched up the stairs and headed for the teacher's room. Standing outside the door, and feeling Shizuka's eyes on her back from somewhere further behind, she breathed in deeply. Just as she reached for the door, it opened right before her, and the gym teacher stopped just short of running her down. "Misaka!" she exclaimed.

"Um, good morning, sensei." Mikoto smiled nervously. "Um, I…"

"Good thing you're here!" The teacher smiled, patting her shoulder. "Matsui-sensei told me all about it! No worries, your grade in this subject is too good to take damage from a day or two absent. Good luck!" Pumping her fist in the air, the gym teacher then ran off down the corridor, even though running was forbidden inside school.

"Ah, Misaka?" Another voice came from inside the teacher's office. It was her homeroom teacher, Matsui-sensei, who leaned back from his workspace to look at her. "Good timing. Come in and close the door, please."

"Ah – mmm." She entered the room, and, briefly wondering whether Shizuka would follow, closed the door behind her. Matsui smiled at her as she came to stand beside him.

"Where is your escort? She can come in too, if she wants." He looked at the door.

"Um…" So school had been notified of Anti-Skill's work. Had they told them why as well? Mikoto would rather she stayed outside anyhow.

"Are your injuries okay?" He nodded at her arms. She rubbed them subconsciously.

"Yeah…"

"That's good." He smiled, then turned to his laptop and started locating something in the folders on his desktop. Mikoto sat down on a free chair and placed her bag beside it. "Actually, I asked for you to be free from gym today because I need to discuss the upcoming show with you."

"Show?" She asked, something stirring in her memory.

"You know next month is full of open days for Academy City." He stopped searching his digital file folders and started pulling out papers from the pile beside his computer instead. "All the kids and their parents are coming here to see and decide what school to enter. Tokiwadai is setting up its usual winter show to attract new students, and what kind of show would it be without our level fives?" He finished on an enthusiastic note, but Mikoto didn't share his feelings. _Of course, it's the same as last year… I just repressed it._ Last year she'd accidently caused a blackout in the whole school; she was somewhat amazed they still wanted her to participate this year. Her expression was less than thrilled. Standing on a stage and showing off her powers to thousands of kids and their parents was not something she longed to do. Besides, wouldn't it just scare them away? Only her own parents were crazy enough to love the idea of their six year old daughter being able to short-circuit a small city. Anyone else would surely be freaked out.

"I have some ideas, but I want you to be in on the planning for your part." Matsui-sensei said. "After all, no-one knows your powers as good as you!" He laughed, and Mikoto managed a strained smile.

"Geh." An hour later, she finally left the office, feeling drained. Even if she hardly said anything, Matsui-sensei talked non-stop, showing her plans and timings and ideas as if she had anything important to say about them. Well, she supposed it was natural. Being one of only two level fives in the school made her a target for any kind of special event the school hosted, whether it was a royal banquet or a sports meet for the elementary grades. She had been utterly speechless at some of the outrageous ideas her teacher had thrown out. _"How about one railgun from each hand at the same time, over the heads of the audience!" _and _"Let's make a local thunderstorm over the school!" _had been among them.

She put a hand to her face. While his ideas wasn't _impossible_, per say, they would definitively only scare the visitors away, leave her exhausted, and besides, it was dangerous! Sighing, she pulled out her cell phone and looked at the clock. It was still one hour left of gym, then an hour of violin recital, and then it was lunch, and this day would be over. But her stomach was growling now, since she hadn't eaten much during breakfast. She looked up, and noticed Shizuka standing on the other side of the hallway, arms crossed over her chest while leaning on the window sill, watching her quietly. Had she been standing like that for a whole hour? It was kind of creepy being watched like that.

The bell rang, signaling recess. Mikoto huffed and headed in the direction of the cafeteria. Even if they hadn't started the serving yet, she could just buy something from one of the vending machines. Just as she passed the door to one of the classrooms in the corridor, it opened, and several chattering girls exited. Usually Mikoto didn't pay them any attention, and she wasn't planning to now either, until –

"I wonder if she's still claiming this territory." One giggling voice said, and several other girls chuckled while they walked in the opposite direction. Mikoto stopped, and even while she tried to figure out why, her hand twitched, as if it wanted to react to what the girl had said. Cold sweat poured down her neck and her eyes grew big as an unfamiliar feeling filled her, all her instincts crying for her to show that gossiping girl _she shouldn't talk like that about me!_ – She forcibly wrapped her arms around her and then forced herself to continue walking. It felt like a burning pain in the back of her head threatened to make it burst, but she dug her thumb into her elbow painfully and hurried on down the corridor before she lost it.

She descended the stairs and entered the school cafeteria without meeting anyone else. Her breathing was erratic, her pulse high, and she felt like screaming. It was horrible. _What's wrong with me? Am I delusional from the pain?_ Shutting her eyes, she tried to calm down, drawing deep breaths and trying to ignore the dull stinging from her chest.

Sighing deeply, she was suddenly interrupted from her own thoughts by a gentle voice: "Oh, Misaka-san, it's rare to see you here at this time." She looked up at a fellow second-year with wavy brown hair who smiled at her. She recognized the girl from one of the parallel classes, but the name escaped her. "Oh my." The girl was looking at her arms, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "Are you hurt?"

"Eh –"

"Come with me, Misaka-san, I'll have a look at it in the infirmary for you!" The other girl grabbed her hand and, not letting Mikoto voice as much as a confirmation, dragged her out of the cafeteria past the frowning Anti-Skill woman.

The nurse's office in Tokiwadai was, like everything else, extravagant, at least in the eyes of a normal student. Three nurses were always on post, and a doctor was also employed to make sure the girls at the school were always in best of health. They had their own equipment, and could even function as a small hospital on their own if needed. Students with different kinds of healing powers worked on improving themselves in here sometimes. Some could close wounds, others could detect and kill off specific viruses and bacteria, and others could affect the mending rate of broken bones. Right now there was only one student here in addition to the nurses, not counting the one who was pulling Mikoto towards a bed. When the other girl saw them, she reddened while letting out a squeal. Judging by that reaction, she was probably a first-year.

"Um…" Mikoto started, when the girl who had dragged her here made her sit on the bed. Looking to the door, she saw the Shizuka woman standing by the wall just inside. One of the nurses went over to talk to her, but was clearly turned away.

"Please, Misaka-sama, let us take care of you!" The new girl said, and bowed.

_You don't have to beg…_ Mikoto gave them a strained smile. "Please do." The girl gasped in awe and looked at the other one while laughing joyfully. Mikoto sighed and rubbed her temple. Really…

* * *

Aaah, the never-ending trouble of being popular. You should be glad all your real life fans don't exist in your universe, Mikoto!


	18. Friday, Noon

**Friday, Noon**

Kazari jumped sky-high when her cell phone suddenly started vibrating in her pocket. The rest of the class looked at her, and the teacher's stern eyes was burning a hole in her forehead, having been cut off abruptly in another long explanation of how acquiring a Personal Reality was so important for developing abilities.

She laughed and rubbed her neck, thankful that she had remembered to turn off the sound. Who'd call her during class? It was probably important, but she couldn't answer now…

Her troubled face stirred something in Ruiko's heart. Quick as a panther, the longhaired girl shot her hand into the air. "Sensei, I think Uiharu needs to use the bathroom." Her voice was serious, even as her smiling face beamed at their teacher.

"S-Saten-san!" Kazari exclaimed, turning red.

"You know, it's the thirty day thingy, and it's quite new to her still, so…" Ruiko apologetically rubbed her neck, while Kazari wished she could disappear on the spot. Their teacher, pink tinting his cheeks, cleared his throat and looked down at his book.

"Off you go then." He said. Ruiko grabbed Kazari's hand and dragged her out of the classroom to the low snickering noises from some of the girls, Kasuri included.

"Saten-san!" Kazari protested weakly once outside in the corridor and at safe hearing distance. "Why – why –" She was too flustered to form a coherent sentence.

"Now, now." Ruiko patted her shoulder with a bright smile. "You can thank me later. Why don't you answer your phone?"

"I will _not_ thank you!" Kazari squealed, and pulled out her phone with exaggerated force. "Oh, it's Shirai-san." She redialed, and Ruiko briefly imagined Kuroko's cell phone spewing out those sounds of hers in the middle of class, and started grunting in laughter.

"Shirai-san!" Kazari nearly shouted into the phone, still bothered by Ruiko's actions, and now distracted by her laughing into the wall.

"Ah, good." Kuroko' voice said. "Uiharu-san, I need you to check something for me. Do you have your laptop?"

"Um, it's in my backpack. We're in the middle of class, Saten-san just dragged me out with a ridiculous excuse…" She shot the longhaired girl a venomous look.

"I'll get your backpack!" Ruiko volunteered unnecessarily. Grinning, she went back up the corridor and entered the classroom before Kazari could protest. Shoving the door open, making all actions in the classroom cease momentarily, she raised her arm in the air and said: "We forgot the you-know-what's!" While all the boys suddenly suffered a severe case of pink cheeks, she marched in, grabbed Kazari's backpack, and marched back out with a winning smile. Kasuri was laughing loudly all the while.

"Hai, I have my laptop now." Tears cascaded down Kazari's face as she received the backpack from a beaming Ruiko.

XXX

"Hm, yes, our firewall had some trouble two nights ago, but I did see that we had received the e-mail from Anti-Skill yesterday." Kazari was keying commands quickly into her 10" laptop with expert skill. "Since they'd already cancelled the order I didn't check it thoroughly though. Ah!"

"What is it?" Kuroko nearly shouted in apprehensiveness.

"We've got an invitation to a picnic with branch 176 next weekend."

"Gaaaah!" It sounded like she was shredding her hair. Kazari hummed while scrolling through the emails, and Ruiko admired her for being so daring when dealing with Kuroko. They had moved into an empty classroom, and Kazari had put her phone on speaker so she could use both hands for her computer. Ruiko was sitting on a desk in front of her, dangling her legs. Apparently Kuroko's class was having a free study lesson, and she was certainly using it the way it was meant.

"Here it is," the flowery girl said brightly. "There are a lot of attachments."

"I want the names of the interviewers."

"Okidoki. Hm…" checking each attachment, she found the "Interview confirmation sheet" and read through it. It listed the names and titles of the interviewers, the location and time it was carried through, and had Misaka-san's signature at the bottom. "The interview seems to have been carried out by a Mahashi Kurina, Otonashi Shizuka, and… um… 'Kono-kun'." Ruiko perked at the first name.

"Otonashi Shizuka…" Kuroko sounded thoughtful. Looking closer at the titles, Kazari halted her cheerful humming. "Hm?" She re-read the title beside Kurina's name.

"What?" Kuroko was sounding edgy now.

"Well, it's just a weird title." Kazari said. "'Secretary General of MIKO'. Seems like Mahashi-san isn't working for Anti-Skill."

Kuroko stayed silent, they could almost hear her churning thoughts through the phone.

"Otonashi-san is an Anti-Skill officer though, but Kono-kun is only listed as that. No title."

"Eh, isn't that weird?" Ruiko said, moving to look over Kazari's shoulder.

"Uiharu, do a search on 'MIKO'." Kuroko said.

"Hai." Kazari hummed again as she opened the web browser and tapped in the word. There were a lot of results. Miko was quite a common Japanese word, after all, and even written with western characters, they ended up with too many hits to search through. Some groups take names like that to easily hide themselves in the masses, but it also made it harder for them to catch all unwanted attention, so it's better for those trying to track them down. Kazari went into the preferences of the web browser and checked the option called 'Academy City searches only'. Going back out and refreshing the list, it suddenly showed only two pages of hits. Most of the hits were obviously not what they wanted, and some were from spam sites. Smiling triumphantly, she clicked the only link that seemed to be none of those. It was a forum, and the link opened a post where someone had asked a question. Ruiko leaned forward.

"'Does anyone know what the group 'MIKO' is researching?'" She read aloud. She and Kazari exchanged glances. There were no answers to the post, and it was more than a year old.

"A research group…?" Kuroko wondered aloud.

"I'll try a search on Mahashi Kurina." Kazari said, and typed it in. This time there were fewer hits, mostly from articles and fact sheets. Some of them were signed Mahashi Kurina, and others were about her.

"Oh," Ruiko said, noticing one of the article descriptions. "Click on that one, Uiharu." She pointed, and Kazari clicked the link. It opened an interview with Kurina, starting with a picture of her.

"It _is_ her!" Ruiko exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the screen. "She came to Misaka-san's hospital room yesterday saying stuff about hooks and whatever!"

"Eh?" Kazari looked at her blankly.

"You know…" Ruiko said, "she was saying Anti-Skill had more leads on the case, and Misaka-san was almost off the hook or something."

Kuroko let out an hmm'ing sound, and Kazari turned back to the screen. Below the picture was a lengthy interview about some particles or some other, but the part that had been quoted on the result page of the search site was at the very end. Ruiko leaned forward and read aloud: "'When asked if she will consider researching the fabled level six in the future, Mahashi-san smiles mysteriously and winks at me, saying 'Who knows?'' Eh, what a useless answer." Ruiko straightened, feeling like the woman was fooling with them.

"Level six…" Kazari was staring at the picture of the woman. They were silent for some seconds, all thinking the same thing: Who was that woman, and why was she in on this case? "Did Misaka-san mention any of this?" Kazari asked, looking through some of the other links as well, without finding anything interesting.

"No, she probably signed the sheet without even looking." Kuroko sighed. "Still, this Mahashi woman reeks of suspicion… why is she acting for Anti-Skill?" It sounded like she was asking the question to herself.

"It does happen that they use outsiders, but not without good cause." Kazari said, checking the report from the interview, and finding nothing suspicious. She then typed different variations of combining 'Mahashi Kurina', 'level six' and 'MIKO' into her web browser, but the only relevant hits was the same post and interview from before.

"Not only that, but that Otonashi Shizuka is currently following onee-sama around, the task was relocated to Anti-Skill this morning." Kuroko said, sounding worried. Kazari hummed again, tapping against her laptop, and Ruiko stroked her chin. A sweat drop travelled down the side of her face. She didn't understand a thing.

"Aaah, why don't you just ask that Otonashi woman about this, then?" She said, laughing.

"I thought about it, but I think it's still too early." Kuroko answered. _You actually considered it?_ Ruiko was surprised and a bit worried. "Even so," the Tokiwadai student continued, "whatever MIKO is, and whoever that Mahashi woman is, I get the feeling this won't end before we find Shotaro Hajime."

XXX

Mikoto let out a deep sigh when she was finally able to escape the infirmary. The girls and nurses had fawned over her for well over half an hour, and she was weary from seeing those glittering eyes wherever she looked. But, she thought while stretching her arms, at least her ribs felt much better now. One of the girls had x-ray vision, and confirmed what the doctor had said about three of her ribs being bruised. The other girl used her 'Accelerated Healing' to push the healing process forward.

"Give it a few days!" They had said, smiling brightly. Then they had offered to heal up the wounds on her arms as well, but she'd seen how tired the girl was from working on her ribs, and declined. Those wounds weren't really bothering her anyway. Kuroko would definitively benefit from visiting them though.

She pulled out her phone and noticed it was still twenty minutes till next lesson. Just as she wondered what to use her time for, the phone rang. "Ops." It was Kuroko. Wasn't she in class? She put the phone to her ear. "Kuroko? Where are you?"

"Onee-sama, is that Anti-Skill woman close by?" Kuroko's voice was almost whispering. Mikoto looked around, and noticed Shizuka standing by the windows further down the hallway, watching her quietly.

Mikoto looked away with a strained expression. Being stared at like that was a bit unnerving. "Hai." She answered.

"Then please just act normally – no…" Her roommate seemed like she gave it some thought, "please just act _naturally_ –" Mikoto's eyebrow twitched, "and listen to what I say."

XXX

_To think that woman is working for some suspicious research group._ Mikoto still felt her stomach knit at the thought. She didn't have a good past with researchers, and it didn't seem like that trend would turn around now. The initial shock at Kuroko's words was long gone, though the thought stayed in the back of her head during her violin recital class. She'd been playing on auto-pilot and had to keep adjusting her arm to avoid the pain in her chest from blooming too much, and didn't blame the teacher for calling her music 'soulless' after class.

It was lunchtime now, and she was starting to feel a bit nervous. She'd acted over-confident when speaking to Kuroko, but now, she felt like this might be more than what they ought to take on. _Well, too late to change my mind now,_ she sighed. _Kuroko should be leaving school at once._

She exited the classroom, the last to leave, and drew a breath.

"Man, I'm starving!" she exclaimed, stretching her arms upwards. "I'm heading to the cafeteria." She started walking, and then, as if suddenly remembering, stopped and turned towards Shizuka. The woman stopped abruptly, having prepared to follow her, and gave a quizzical look. "Are you hungry, Otonashi-san?" Mikoto beamed. "It must be tiring to stand around like a statue all day. Come on!" And, pouncing forward and grabbing the woman's hand, she pulled her towards her destination. Shizuka didn't resist, caught off guard by the sudden cheerful demeanor. Up to now, the girl had completely ignored her.

_I feel it._ Mikoto had a strained grin on her face, her eyes shining brightly while she concentrated, firmly walking in front of Shizuka. The woman's cell phone was located in her right pant pocket. _Just… do it… right!_ She closed her eyes for just a second, and felt her way through Shizuka's natural magnetism field, finding the pocket, then narrowed in on the cell phone's battery. A tiny little electrical charge, not even enough to be felt by a human, made it short-circuit, and she reopened her eyes. Within a second Shizuka's phone was out of business, and the woman hadn't noticed anything. She couldn't help the triumphant grin on her face, and smiled brightly at all the squealing girls they passed on their way to the cafeteria. They were always much worse when Kuroko weren't around, the pigtailed girl's threatening death stare usually chasing them away.

Finally reaching the cafeteria, she dragged Shizuka over to a table far away from the windows, and an underclassman serving as waitress instantly stood beside them with a big smile, wearing an apron over her school uniform and holding a small notepad in her hand.

"What can I get you, Misaka-sama?" She beamed at them.

_Sama?_ Shizuka gave a shocked expression at the title, her cold demeanor forgotten for a moment.

Mikoto didn't see it, as she was busy scanning the menu. "Hm… We'll have two fried chicken breasts with noodles, thank you."

"Certainly!" The smiling girl noted it down, and then turned around, squealing to her fellow waitress classmates; "I got Misaka-sama's order!" "Oh, you're so lucky!"

Mikoto sighed and put down the menu, while Shizuka followed the giggling girls wide-eyed. This was certainly a rich girl's school; even their giggles seemed refined, somehow. She looked back at Mikoto, who seemed tired, sporting a bored look on her face. This girl was as far away from what Shizuka had been in school as possible. An idol and an object of affection, one of those you'd only know of from television.

The girl noticed her looking, and the blindingly bright smile reappeared, effectively wiping out any traces of boredom. "What do you think of our school, Otonashi-san?" she asked cheerfully. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Erm, yes…" Shizuka was actually astonished, both at the sudden change in mood and at the school. She had never been inside such a place; before she joined Anti-Skill permanently, she had been working at a high school in third district, and even that school, one of the most prestigious in its district, could not hope to compare to this.

"Mm-hmm! I wish they had a bigger menu, though." Mikoto smiled, and wondered whether Kuroko was safely out of school yet. It wasn't like they needed her departure to be overly secretive, but the less this woman knew about their actions, the better. She _was_ Anti-Skill, after all, and what Kuroko had planned to do would not be looked upon with joy. _I really hope Kuroko knows what she's doing._

"The menu?" Shizuka grabbed it and looked at it, the girl having ordered for her before she'd even noticed. Her mouth dropped open at the extensive list of food available, both Japanese and western, and some she didn't even know the origin of. _This is a school cafeteria? It could as well be a five-star restaurant!_

"We have cooking classes as well, and that basically means making the lunch and then serving it." Mikoto filled her in. Looking at that bright smile, Shizuka wondered whether it was healthy for a young girl to grow up with this as normality.

"Here you go, please enjoy -!" A choir of sing-song voices startled her, and Shizuka stiffened at the sight of five girls all striving to be the one serving the food to them. The girl who had taken their order elegantly placed a glass full of water before either of them, and humbly said: "I am sorry for the wait, Misaka-sama." '_Wait'?_ Shizuka was close to bursting. _It's been barely a minute!_

"No, no, thank you," Mikoto smiled and waved the excuse away. The girls all smiled, pink tinting their cheeks, and squealed as they hurriedly walked away. Mikoto split her chopsticks, feeling hungry enough to eat a whole stall of hot-dogs. Right before digging in, she noticed Shizuka's terrified expression. "Oh," she said, "maybe you don't like chicken fried noodles?" She'd just ordered without thinking.

Shizuka turned her gaze to her, and then looked at the bowl in front of her. It was at least twice as much as you would get as a portion anywhere else. "No, no, I like it," she said, hurriedly grabbing her chopsticks and putting a bite of chicken and some noodles in her mouth. It tasted heavenly. She had never ever in her life tasted anything so good. _Is this a crime against nature, me eating this?_ She wondered, her face blissful.

"They've used a bit much thyme again," Mikoto noted, giving a small sigh. "Ah well, it's still edible." She continued eating, not noticing Shizuka's aghast expression. _What's wrong with these girls!_

XXX

Shizuka's shocking experiences with Tokiwadai everyday life ended when they left the school three quarters of an hour later, backed by a row of waving girls. When the first-years noticed Mikoto was alone (meaning, no Kuroko), they had swarmed the table like bees to a flower, and if Mikoto graced them with a look or a word, they clasped hands and looked ready to faint on the spot.

The Anti-Skill officer found Mikoto's natural interaction with the girls to be the most amazing, though; smiling and laughing, the middle school girl seemed to be totally at ease during the whole ordeal. At first she'd thought the attention she got was only because she was a level five, but watching the scene, she had to admit it seemed like Mikoto was actually a likeable girl in all aspects. She was friendly, easy-going, and had a natural cuteness to her while still seeming mature.

When seeing her at the interview two days ago, Shizuka had gotten the impression of a spoiled brat with too much free time. Now, walking out the gates beside her (Mikoto insisted on having her close rather than stalking around in the back), she couldn't imagine this girl doing anything wrong, much less brawl around in the streets. Had she not seen her at the hospital with her own eyes, she'd almost suspected this to be a twin sister.

After the experience at the school, she thought she couldn't be surprised anymore, but that turned out to be wrong. Walking down the refined street of the Garden of Education, the elegant town within district 7 harboring several rich girls' schools, Mikoto suddenly declared her need for cake, and then forcefully pulled Shizuka into what had at first glimpse seemed like an overpriced goldsmith. It was, in fact, a small café selling all types of unrecognizable cakes, the price making Shizuka's face turn white. _2500 yen a piece?_ It was certainly overpriced, at least.

"Pick whatever you want, it's my treat." Mikoto said, smiling brightly. It was against all of Shizuka's morals to allow a middle school girl to treat her, and at work even, but she lost the fight with the delicious temptations, and before she knew it, had devoured the most fabulous cheese cake known to man. She had been inside the Garden before, but only on Anti-Skill business, which sadly didn't involve eating cake. This was a new experience to her, and one she didn't regret having.

Mikoto sipped her soda and looked out the window of the small café while Shizuka blissfully enjoyed the lingering after-tastes in her mouth. Wasting some money to keep this woman's mind off things like needing to contact her superiors were well worth it (she hoped). Though the antics of this Otonashi woman made her start to doubt if she was actually a bad guy. Perhaps she didn't even know anything about MIKO and Shotaro Hajime? Then again, she had been present at the interview, and had been hanging around Kurina, so it couldn't be ruled out. Mikoto understood Kuroko perfectly for not wanting to have an Anti-Skill officer roaming about when trying to dig up information about something that was obviously way out of her jurisdiction, but still, being downgraded to a diversion felt kind of annoying.

She glared at the soda with contempt, and then suddenly emptied it in one long slurp and stood up, forcing up a beam at the other occupant of the table. "Let's go, Otonashi-san!"

XXX

Before afternoon rolled around, the duo had visited several expensive stores, a game arcade where one round of playing a racing game cost the same as buying the full game in a normal store (Shizuka was surprised they even had an arcade here), and had even enjoyed an ice cream sitting by the fountain in the central square. Everywhere they went, there were rich girls, formal speak patterns and beautiful decorations. The sun was warm, but a mild breeze made the day much more accommodating than the ones earlier this week.

"Oh, Misaka-sama!" A bright voice reached them through the sound of water coming from the fountain they were currently sitting in front of.

"Hm?" Mikoto turned towards the voice. Two girls were approaching them, waving and smiling. "Ah, Awatsuki-san, Wannai-san." Mikoto smiled, recognizing Kuroko's classmates from the swimming team. She popped the last piece of ice cream into her mouth while the two girls stopped in front of them and gave a short bow.

"We heard you were absent from school yesterday," Awatsuki said worriedly, "are you okay?"

"Did you fight some thugs again?" Wannai asked, equally worried.

"Aaah, I'm okay, no worries." Mikoto waved their worried comments away, a sweat-drop travelling down her temple.

"It's very rare to see you here after school, though." Wannai said. "Are you not with Shirai-san today?"

"Kuroko had to work, so I ended up killing some time here." Mikoto smiled, hoping they wouldn't ask more.

"Hmm." The girls looked at Shizuka, who had turned the other way and pretended like nothing, her clothes sorely giving her away as an outsider. Then, Wannai looked back at Mikoto and said: "Aren't you usually reading manga at this time?" Mikoto twitched, while Awatsuki looked at her friend and said: "That's on Wednesdays, isn't it? Shirai-san is always complaining how disgraceful it is for a young lady to stand-read manga." She smiled apologetically.

"Guh." Mikoto sweated all over, staring down into the bricks at her right side._ Why does Kuroko tell everyone about those kinds of things?_

"Oh," Wannai suddenly said and waved her hands, "that's only Shirai-san's point of view. I think it's great to have some hobbies different from those almost everyone at school has."

_Kuroko, you idiot…! _

"Well," the girl continued, giving a small wave, "we're going to join Kongo-san for some shopping. She was released from the hospital yesterday. See you around, Misaka-san." And they were off.

Shizuka's sharp stare punctuated the back of Mikoto's head, and she twitched again.

"Stand-reading manga, eh?" The Anti-Skill woman said, voice low. "Fighting thugs, eh?" Mikoto sweated even more. "Well, whatever." Shizuka sat back and folded her arms, looking at Mikoto with a scrutinizing look. "That fits my first impression of you much better than all these rich girl things."

Mikoto gave an awkward laugh and rubbed her neck. "Am I that bad at acting like a rich girl?"

"No, actually, I think you're much better than you realize." Shizuka muttered.

"Eh?"

"Nothing." She stood up, straightening her pants, and then gave a crooked smile down at her. "Why don't you act more like yourself then, and do what you'd normally do?"

* * *

To be honest, I don't really like this chapter. I don't know why. It just... itches me the wrong way or something. It might be the fact that the story is entering it's final chapters now and I did my best in picking up loose threads in a story that had no plan at all. But whatever. What I think isn't interesting at all; it's the readers' opinion's that matters ^_^


	19. Friday, Early afternoon, 1

**Friday, Early afternoon, 1**

Mikoto sipped her third soda of the day and sighed. They had moved out of the Garden of Education, and were currently sitting at a table near one of seventh district's plazas under the shade of a big tree while enjoying a chilling drink. Mikoto had forced Shizuka to choose one as well, since nothing seemed more unnatural than two people sitting at a table silently, and only one of them enjoying a drink.

_Act like I normally do, eh…_ she watched unseeingly the people moving past on the sidewalk, feeling depressed. What did she normally do? It seemed like all she ever did recently was cause trouble for everyone. She'd never thought twice about it when taking care of thugs and morons in the alleys of district 7, but perhaps it was more trouble than waiting for Judgment or Anti-Skill, in the end… still, how could she just stand there like a helpless fool when it was so easy to deal with it? It contradicted her very nature!

She bit down on her straw, feeling irritated again. Even now, when Kuroko was trying to track down the remaining bad guys of the tagging and attack cases, she was reduced to babysitting an uptight Anti-Skill officer who turned out to be as soft as a teddy bear. The woman hadn't even tried to use her phone during the hours they spent together, and Mikoto figured she wouldn't realize what was going on even if it slapped her in the face.

It was infuriating! Some jerks were having fun assaulting people, blaming it all on herself and Sniper, resulting in her being suspected and hurt in battle and tagged and bothered by underclassmen all over, while Anti-Skill was only capable of telling her how they'd gotten some 'more clues' while strolling around the city, eating cake which she paid for and grinning stupidly! What's the logic here!

Shizuka noticed how the middle school girl was breathing heavily, a murderous look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Misaka-san?"

Mikoto twitched, then hurriedly rearranged her face into a bright smile and turned to the woman. "No, no, just thinking… heh…" she took a new, long sip of her soda, feeling nervous again.

A ringing tone filled the air.

"Ooop…" Shizuka put her hand in her shirt pocket, and pulled out a grey cell phone.

_WHAT?_ Mikoto's face turned horror-struck. She'd destroyed her phone, hadn't she? She did, no mistake! She knew all about how cell phone batteries worked; her own only survived during her various attacks because she deliberately tuned the electricity so that it wouldn't affect it unless it was directly hit and overloaded. No way she could fail at destroying it!

Shizuka was about to push the answer button, when suddenly the phone gave a sizzling noise, and turned blank.

"Eh?" She looked at it, blinking.

Mikoto was sipping her soda, watching some kids running around a tree with great interest, face turned away from the woman.

"Hmm." Shizuka put the phone back into the shirt pocket. Then another ringing noise erupted, and she reached into the back pocket of her pants. Mikoto splurted, spraying soda at a passing lady, whom cried out and ran away, sobbing.

Shizuka had barely pulled the black cell phone out, before it too, suddenly died with a small 'bzzt'.

"Wha - ?" She lifted it up and looked at it in puzzlement.

Mikoto stared at the ground, sweat pouring down her face while still pretending to sip her empty soda. How many cell phones did that woman have? She had felt confident when taking out the one she had felt in her pocket earlier, but apparently, she'd failed at noticing the other two. _Stupid!_

Shizuka looked from the phone to Mikoto. "Have you –" she started, but Mikoto turned around suddenly, smacking the empty soda cup on the table and grinning broadly.

"Neh, why don't we go shop some more?"

"Eh? I thought you didn't like shopping after all." Shizuka put the phone back into her pocket, still a puzzled expression on her face. Just to be safe, she checked the white cell phone as well, and was shocked to see that it too, was dead as a rock. She'd even charged the batteries this morning!

"No, no, I do like shopping." Mikoto laughed, waving her hand dismissively and standing up. "It's just that we're required to wear our uniforms at all times, so it feels kind of useless shopping for clothes you only get to wear during vacations... heh…" Not to mention most of the shopping she did was with Kuroko, and that obnoxious underclassman of hers had certain requirements for the shops they visited.

"Aaah… but actually… I have to contact my superior." Shizuka looked around the plaza, then at Mikoto again. "I wouldn't normally ask this, but can I borrow your phone?"

"Uuum..." Mikoto smiled awkwardly, "actually, mine just went out of power…" She sweated under the scrutinizing look, and then Shizuka stood up, and Mikoto continued to smile nervously.

"It's not secure with the public pay phones either." The Anti-Skill woman said thoughtfully. Her gaze turned to Mikoto. "Judgment has a branch headquarters not far from here. Let's go there."

"Aaaah, mmm…" Mikoto imagined Kuroko's enraged face already.

XXX

At Judgment 177th branch headquarters, Kuroko was busy scratching her head with a pen while browsing a mountainous amount of info on her computer. Claiming to need access to the database for investigation into a different case (and certainly going to have to explain themselves later), the Judgment girls had grabbed any info they could about William Mustaf, Shotaro Hajime and Mahashi Kurina they could find.

Konori-senpai had volunteered to help, but Kuroko had been too absorbed in her work to even notice, and so the older student settled with feeding the gold fish in their new bowl.

"_Forced Decision_," the longhaired girl muttered, looking at Shotaro's files. His face was printed on the main report, a rather uninteresting guy with short-cropped, brown hair and dark eyes seemingly giving the camera a thoughtful look.

She glanced at it for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the description of his ability. "'The ability to force others into conclusions they normally would not have taken. Subjects to this power are known to experience severe headaches.' Level four... Hmmm."

She stared at his picture again, something stirring in the back of her mind. What was it…?

Poking the pen into her chin, she put him aside and checked Mahashi Kurina's files again. She'd already read through them twice, but still felt like something was missing.

'General Secretary of MIKO' was her title, just like on the interview confirmation sheet from Anti-Skill. Though not one word mentioning what exactly "MIKO" was.

Apparently she'd also worked several years in the business of mapping out the influence that the emotional nature of humans had on power growth in ability users. She'd written several reports, and in one of them, she explained in great detail how humans sought to grow stronger by instinct, and that by putting ability users in different situations, life threatening and not, they could in theory be able to force an increase in level. Kuroko had read about two pages of this before tiring from the lengthy explanations.

This Mahashi woman had never even participated in any experiments, so it was all theories.

"What a bother." Kuroko mumbled, before sighing and sitting back in her chair. No matter where they looked, they found absolutely no information regarding the group MIKO.

They had been ecstatic at finding out William Mustaf was actually a junior researcher in the group, according to his database files. However, that was all it said. Nothing about what kind of work that involved, or any information about the group in general.

Could they assume that MIKO was involved in the attack cases? But for what reason would that be? Was William Mustaf the real bad guy after all? But then, what about Shotaro… "Urrrg." She wanted to rip her hair out.

"Shirai-san." Kazari called from her own desk, where she was trying to sort through files, reports and internet sites all at once. The shorthaired girl was trying to dig up information about their various issues using all means available to them, but so far, had been having little success. Not because she didn't know how to find the information, but because the information didn't exist to begin with.

"What?" Kuroko asked, not willing to move unless it was absolutely necessary.

"You might want to see this…"

Kuroko reluctantly went over to the other desk, and looked at the picture Kazari had enlarged from an internet site. In it was two people; one was unmistakably Mahashi Kurina, her long, blonde hair quite recognizable. The other person was a man, wearing trendy clothes, spiky black hair adorning his head. They were sitting at a café, seemingly relaxed in each other's presence.

It was the kind of picture you'd see in a gossip magazine about celebrities.

"That's Mahashi Kurina." Kuroko said. "But who's the other one? Some kind of idol or movie star or something?"

Kazari silently moved her cursor to another screen and clicked on the file lying there. Instantly, a picture of the man appeared, a lot clearer than the one from the net.

Beside the picture, his name was printed.

"Origawa Kamasuki…" Kuroko read, and then gasped. "The Sniper?"

"The picture was posted on a random picture site, and has no description." Kazari said. "But it does look like him, doesn't it?"

"Why is he with that woman, though?" Kuroko's mind was churning. Sniper and Mahashi Kurina… Seeing how she was at least involved in this case to some extent, could he truly be too, after all?

"Maybe they are a couple!" Kazari brightly announced, earning a slap to her head from the other girl.

"Please take this seriously." Kuroko muttered, but Kazari didn't answer, since her cell phone started ringing just then. She picked it up from the desk and looked at the screen before answering.

"Hello, Saten-san!" She greeted happily, leaving Kuroko to fume irritably behind her.

"What? There's a new store in the mall in area D? Oh, that's right, the one that sells those cute little dresses! Yeah, I really want to come!" She sweat-dropped at the thundering face of Kuroko staring down her neck, and continued; "Um, well… I'm kind of at work right now…" she then listened for some seconds, "mmm, no, I don't think Shirai-san would allow that… yeah I know, but it's really…"

Kuroko was tapping her fingers impatiently against her folded arms, but Kazari didn't notice. "Haha, really? That's amazing! How much did it cost? Aaah, I'm jealous!" Her eyes sparkled. "Ooooh, you know, that reminds me –"

Suddenly her phone was yanked from her hand, and she grasped after it – "Wah!" – then there was a 'plop'.

Konori-senpai, who had previously been observing their two gold fish swim around in the bowl in the other end of the room, was suddenly looking at a red cell phone instead, sinking to the bottom slowly like an anchor. The goldfish avoided it neatly like it was just another decoration.

Kazari gaped, expression aghast as she stared at the bowl, and Kuroko folded her arms again and hmph'ed. "You are at work, Uiharu, please act accordingly."

"My phone! My cell phone!" Kazari stretched her arms out as if trying to grasp the drowned communication device from her spot in the chair, and Kuroko put a hand on her head and turned her firmly towards the screen.

"You can buy a new one later, now concentrate!"

"My phone…" tears running down her cheeks, Kazari sobbed into her hands.

Kuroko sighed. The SIM cards in Academy City's cell phones were designed to withstand water anyway, why make such a big fuss?

Just as she was about to comment, the door to their office banged open.

"I need to borrow the phone!"

Kuroko turned around, and her pigtails spiked in the air at the sight of a certain Anti-Skill woman entering the room at a brisk pace.

Following her was Mikoto, giving a small wave while grinning awkwardly. "Hi-i…"

"Um…" Kazari looked at the newcomers, wondering for a second what to do, when Kuroko suddenly acted with superhuman speed and turned off all five monitors on her computer, and then teleported to her own desk before Shizuka could reach it, and banged the lid shut on her laptop with a shattering force.

Mikoto grimaced at the sound, and hesitatingly observed Kuroko's fuming form, before looking at Konori-senpai, who was just fishing a red cell phone out of a goldfish bowl.

"May I?" Shizuka didn't wait for an answer before picking up the office phone and dialing a number hurriedly.

_Should I short-circuit this one too?_ There was a limit to how many times it could pass off as a coincidence. Mikoto felt Kuroko's burning glare at the side of her face, and tried to ignore it. It wasn't her fault that the woman was so insisting on calling her superior! On their way here, she had tried everything short of attacking random passerby's to divert the Anti-Skill's woman attention. She'd even short-circuited a couple of cleaning robots whom proceeded to howl their alarms, but Otonashi-san hadn't even looked at them.

Where was that spiky-haired freak when she needed him? Although, if she _did_ attack him to divert Shizuka's attention, she might have ended up in jail or something instead.

"Hai, it's me." Otonashi-san said, and all the girls focused on her, listening to her words. "No, my cell phones are out of battery… yes, all three of them…" Mikoto's face turned stolid, but it fooled no-one.

"What?" Shizuka continued, seemingly puzzled by whatever the other person was saying. "No, I am currently tagging Misaka Mikoto…"

Just as she said this, Kuroko's cell phone suddenly started ringing. She answered it impatiently, barking into it. "What?"

Beside her, Shizuka exclaimed into the office phone. "A bomb!"

And then Kuroko jumped up from her chair like a spring from a box and shouted; "An explosion in area D?"

Kazari's eyes grew wide. "Area D… that's where Saten-san…" she hadn't even finished before Mikoto bolted out the door; Kuroko looked after her and uttered "Ah -!" before she too, was gone, cell phone still to her ear. Kazari rose from her chair and ran out the door as well, not even considering staying behind as backup.

"Hey!" Shizuka shouted, still on the phone, while the girls disappeared from the office one by one. She barked "I'm going right over!" and hang up, then ran out after them.

Konori watched the door silently, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

Then, the office phone and her cell phone both rang at once, and the pinging of incoming emails filled the room. At least she wouldn't be bored.

* * *

Note:

About electricity and cell phones, I don't know if you could tune an electric charge like that. But as someone with average knowledge about electricity, I wouldn't know anyway. If you're looking for scientifically explained, properly researched explanations, I suggest you look elsewhere (they don't exist in the novels anyway).  
My explanation is this: Mikoto is a level five Electromaster. Of course she can do it. And that's the glory of Personal Reality.


	20. Friday, Early afternoon, 2

**Friday, Early afternoon, 2**

Exiting the taxi they had all crammed into, Mikoto didn't exactly know what to expect, or why she was so agitated. She was looking at a chaotic scene of people fleeing the plaza in front of a two-story mall. Kuroko was on the phone, barking to someone in the other end, while Kazari ran to help the other Judgment members present with evacuating everyone.

The reason for the chaos was obvious; a giant hole on the wall of the second floor of the mall, and students still poured out of the entrance below like ants from an anthill on fire. Some of them had wounds and bruises on their skin. Two fire trucks were parked below, spraying water at the hole in the wall.

Her hands clenched. For some reason she felt like this was no coincidence.

Beside her, Shizuka was shouting into a cell phone borrowed from a Judgment member. "Where is the backup? I only see Judgment here!" She listened for a second, then bit back: "I don't care if there's been a shoot-out in area C; there's chaos everywhere here! I can't handle it alone –"

She was interrupted, and her face turned rigid. "Well how long are those few minutes!"

She flung the phone away, and the girl who had lent it to her eyed it with a crestfallen face.

"Misaka-san!" Shizuka turned to her. "You are still being tagged, but I have work to do. Basically, that means you're coming with me."

"What? Where?" Mikoto exclaimed, feeling as if pierced by that glare.

"To scour the place!"

"But I'm just – uwah!" She wasn't even allowed to protest before the woman pulled her by the arm towards the main entrance, barking at the Judgment members standing outside to let them past.

XXX

"Uiharu!" The voice penetrated the noises of panic and confusion, and Kazari looked up, only to see Ruiko waving at her from a distance away, flanked by Kasuri and Inu.

"Saten-san!" She ran over, and quickly inspected the other girl. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm not hurt. What the heck is going on?"

"There was this huge bang, and suddenly everyone was screaming!" Kasuri said.

Kazari looked at the shopping mall main entrance, where the stream of escapees was thinning out. She wondered if Judgment should assist in rescuing anyone left inside, and looked around for Shirai-san. She saw her standing further away with a couple of ambulance personnel, and hurriedly dragged Ruiko over.

"How can you possibly think two ambulances are enough?" Kuroko was yelling. "We have a mountain of injured!"

"I'm sorry," one of the drivers said. "There was a gang fight in area C, and we only have this many cars…"

"How can this be possible in Academy City?"

The ambulance personnel bowed slightly and apologized again, then hurried to start unloading equipment from their cars.

"Shirai-san!" Kazari exclaimed, making the other girl turn around.

"What the heck is going on?" Ruiko asked when they stopped in front of her.

"Someone has obviously set off a bomb." Kuroko said with more edge than usual. "Branch 174 through 177 is currently here, but we are too few to gain control in the area and help the ambulance personnel simultaneously."

"Where is Anti-Skill?" Kazari asked, receiving only a frustrated shrug in reply. "In that case, we must search for any civilians still inside the mall!"

"I'll help!" Ruiko said at once.

"Me too!" Kasuri and Inu joined in.

Nodding at each other, they all turned and ran, heading to rendezvous with the other Judgment members.

Kuroko sighed and looked up at the hole in the wall. She wanted nothing more than to run in and find the culprit, but it was very unlikely that he would still be there, and this area needed to be secured first… _Just what we needed on top of everything else._

XXX

It was strange being inside an open mall when no customers or even employees were around. The stores looked abandoned, wares lying scattered on the floor, and some places whole shelves was knocked over. The power was out, but the neon emergency exit signs were glowing, and the mall was fairly lit by the sunlight flittering through the huge windows in the roof far above.

The smell was the most unique though; a mixture of smoke and wet building materials drifting down from the second floor.

"Here." Shizuka handed her a tiny device that didn't even fill half of her palm. "The range is only 200 meters, but it should suffice for us. If you see anything at all, contact me."

Mikoto examined the fairly primitive walkie-talkie. Should they really be doing this? Wasn't it rather unorthodox to bring a civilian into a crime scene like this?

"What? Are you scared?" Shizuka looked at her incredulously. "I figured you knew how to defend yourself should it be necessary."

"Of course I'm not scared!" She bit back, stomping her foot.

"Good, then get on with it. We're looking for suspects; leave everything else be." The woman then ran into the mall, as if chasing a stubborn robber. Mikoto thrust the communication device into her pocket and followed.

They had no time to inspect every store, but glanced inside them when running past. Most of the destruction seemed to be from panicking humans, as there was little to no rubble from the building itself down here.

They were nearing the still escalator when Mikoto spotted a girl leaning heavily on a bench beside it.

"Hey, are you alright?" She ran over and grabbed her, helping her stand up by flinging one arm over her shoulder. The girl had a huge bump on her head, and seemed dazed. "Come on, I'll help you…"

"Misaka-san!" Shizuka was barking at her. "Leave her; Judgment will help her in a few minutes."

"No way!" Mikoto barked back, appalled. "I can't just leave her here – she's wounded –"

"It's not like you're leaving her to die! We need to find any traces of the culprit before they – ah!"

CLANG! The sound reverberated through the silent mall.

Whipping out a handgun, Shizuka went up the escalator, leaving Mikoto flustered and angry all at once with the girl hanging over her shoulders like a sack.

She bit her teeth, and then a familiar voice called: "Misaka-san!"

Kazari, Ruiko and a couple of girls she hadn't seen before made their way over to her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's injured, but I have to go; please take care of her." She transferred the almost unconscious girl to Kazari's arms, who nearly disappeared under the bigger body.

"Misaka-san!" She said again. "Shirai-san said –"

"Aaah, tell Kuroko not to worry!" Mikoto beamed. "I'll leave the arrest and everything to Otonashi-san!" And she was off, the other girls mute from her inappropriate cheerfulness.

"Was that… Railgun?" Kasuri asked. Inu was gaping after the Tokiwadai student, looking like she'd just seen something incredibly rare.

Ruiko gave a heavy sigh, but smiled nonetheless. "Hai, that's Misaka-san."

Kasuri stared after the girl who'd disappeared up the escalator to the second floor. "…just as weird as I imagined."

Kazari wailed, falling over from the weight. "P-please help meee!"

XXX

_Stupid, unfeeling, short-haired crow!_ Mikoto was yelling obscenities in her head while making her way through fallen debris and trying not to trip.

_Where did she go? _She stopped and looked around, rubbing her stinging ribs. Even with the treatment received earlier, running around like this with bruised ribs weren't exactly a good way to heal up.

This floor was much worse off than the ground floor; it had taken the brunt of the explosion, and seemed to be on the verge of collapsing any moment. Several places the ceiling was damaged, water pouring out of the tubes above, and cables hung like black lianas. At least they weren't sparking, since the power was out. The air smelt burnt, smoke had gathered by the ceiling, and the stores were mostly unrecognizable.

She wondered how big the explosion had been. Still, for all the debris and dust, she could not see any humans, least of all the one she was looking for.

Wandering further, she suddenly reached the hole in the wall. It had been a store, apparently; at least the size fit. Outside she saw the parking lot in front of the mall. It was full of people, students with green armbands busy closing off the area with tape, and one ambulance just driving away with sirens blaring. Wondering if Kuroko was still out there, she continued past the hole, careful to not trip on any of the debris. Everything was wet from the sprinklers and the fire hose.

The walkie-talkie in her pocket suddenly sparked to life.

"—Misaka-san?"

_I forgot about this. _She pulled out the small device and pushed the talk button. "Otonashi-san, where are you?"

More static, then: "I found a girl who seems to be badly wounded. I need your help."

"Where?" Mikoto looked around, and suddenly noticed someone lying on the floor just a meter away from where she stood. Her body stiffened, and her face drained of color.

"I'm at a store called 'Read-a-lot' or something. I could see the light from the hole from the entrance."

Mikoto didn't answer, her eyes glued to the unmoving person on the floor. She could see a burnt hand, and laces of clothes. The rest of the body was mostly hidden beneath a large section of wall.

"Misaka-san, do you hear me?"

Forcing herself to look away, she pressed the button again.

"H-hai, I just passed the hole, so I guess it's not far." She moved forward, and stumbled. Landing on her hands and knees, she silently cursed at the jolt to her ribs, and looked for what she had tripped on.

Then wished she hadn't. The dead, staring eyes and blood smeared face would haunt her dreams for months to come. Fighting the nausea, she stood and moved away, one hand covering her mouth and cold sweat pouring down her face.

When she finally reached the store where Shizuka was waiting for her, the woman noticed her pale face. Her eyes softened with sympathy, though Mikoto didn't notice.

She put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I dragged you in here." She paused briefly, but Mikoto didn't say anything, still seeing nothing but those empty eyes in her mind.

Shizuka sighed. "Let's go."

Mikoto followed her into the store, forcing her mind back to the present. There were books all over, and shelves had fallen on top of each other.

They went past the register, and then the problem was obvious; a huge steel bar had fallen from the ceiling and crushed the shelves beneath it. A girl was lying under it, crying and shielding her face with her arms. There were bleeding gashes on her forearms, and for a second, Mikoto thought of her own cuts hidden beneath the plasters.

"I can't move this thing alone, but perhaps if we work together…" Shizuka sounded skeptical, eyeing the bar. She jumped when it suddenly lifted into the air, a loud, screeching noise filling their ears. Mikoto moved the bar to the other end of the room, and dropped it with a bang; a cloud of dust rose from the floor.

Shizuka ran forward to the sobbing girl, kneeling in front of her.

"Let me see the damage." She grabbed her hands, moving them from her face.

Mikoto was surprised when the face became visible; wasn't that… "Sahari-san?"

Indeed, it was Sahari Musiko, the Queen's number one follower, or so she said. Face dirtied and grimed, she still sobbed, looking at them wearily. "Misaka-san…" She gasped for breath. "You… need to get out…"

"Eh?" Mikoto was dumbfounded by finding this person here; somehow it seemed utterly unlikely.

"The… the…"

"Did you see the culprit?" Shizuka asked intently. "Did you see someone suspicious at all?"

"The…" She coughed, and even managed to make that sound elegant.

"The what?" Shizuka cried, close to shaking the girl out of her stupor.

"The Sniper…"

Mikoto's insides froze at once. Her breath hitched, and her hands suddenly felt like lead at her sides.

"The Sniper?" Shizuka said. "Are you sure it's him?"

"He… said he was." Sahari said weakly, eyes shimmering. "I was hiding in here from the explosion, and then he suddenly showed up and attacked me…"

Mikoto stared at her, unbelievingly. She was lying, surely. Of course she was. Sniper was not the culprit; he'd told her that, and she had believed him…

Then, as if it was a practiced performance, a slick, arrogant voice suddenly spoke from behind them. "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Railgun. Whatever is the probability of that?"

She turned and stared at the grinning face, one elegant hand running through black, stylized hair, designer clothes without a speck of dirt.

No. No way! What the hell was he doing here? Had he set off the bomb? Had he injured that many, and even – the images of those burnt bodies filled her mind and she was close to retching again.

She squeezed her arms tightly around her body, burning hot liquid exploding through her veins.

Shizuka pulled out her gun, and Sniper smirked. "You could try shooting, but I'm fairly certain it won't hit –"

He cut off as he noticed Mikoto's outstretched arm, a coin pointed directly at him, her face scowling with rage as the electricity crackled around her.

"You – MURDERER!"

The electrical beam, nicknamed a railgun from its similarity to the weapon, exploded forth, heat and lightning fluttering their hair and clothes about, and dust flying – then the sound followed; an ear deafening rumble like a jet passing in the sky.

XXX

Kazari shrieked when a loud rumble suddenly shook the whole building, and Ruiko looked up from the guy they were just helping out from underneath a shelf.

Judgment had pretty much cleaned out the ground floor, and they had moved up the escalator to find many more injured. Kasuri and Inu had just gone outside with a heavily hurt woman when the thunderous sound reached their ears, dust shaking off of the debris.

"What was _that_?"

* * *

_That_ was chapter 20 of A Certain Railgun Fan Fic.

Tell me what you think. I know what _I_ think; that's hardly interesting.  
Of course, this assumes you're thinking at all. Which you might not. I wouldn't really know. But I hope you do.

Next chapter: Tea and cookies.


	21. Friday, Early afternoon, 3

**Friday, Early afternoon, 3**

Following the explosive sound, a big hole was blasted open in the wall on the other side of the hallway, deviated a good meter away from the straight line it was originally going in. Mikoto stood with her arm stretched out still, breathing heavily while the last static charges left her body, glaring at the man in front of her.

The Sniper grinned, hands in his pockets. He'd just stepped back half a meter and let his ability take care of the rest.

"That's not very nice." He said. "'Murderer' is going a bit far, don't you think? I didn't mean to kill anyone; I merely played with the heating system a bit. Who'd imagined there was a gas tank in one of the stores?" His grin widened. "Boooooom…"

Her face twisted in anger, and a storm of lightning flew his way. None of the strikes hit, though, instead smashing into the walls and the ceiling scattering dust everywhere. When the electricity dissipated, he tsk'ed.

"Trouble with your kind of ability users is your power is simply too one-sided. If I lower the probability of you being able to produce electricity –"

BANG! The sudden sound of a gunshot erupted from behind Mikoto; Sniper was close to being grazed by the bullet sweeping past his shoulder even though he had seen it coming. Mikoto gritted her teeth, and then the steel bar that had previously trapped Sahari rose from the floor and sped right at him. It smashed into the wall beside the entrance to the store, Sniper grinning smugly as he neatly evaded the attack. However, through the ensuing dust Shizuka stormed forward and knocked into him.

He oof'ed as the air left his lungs. Shizuka's face was instantly cut open by several gashes, but she barely even flinched, and then another streak of lightning barely missed his head. He'd lost his surprise momentum, and was outnumbered; he needed to concentrate better than this to stand a chance against Mikoto.

Shizuka groaned when a deep gash protruded on her leg, and then the ceiling above them cracked open, and fell to the floor with a thunder, leaving a giant cloud of dust in its wake. The rubble effectively blocked the entrance to the store.

Mikoto coughed as the dust entered her mouth and nose, then whipped out another coin and aimed at the pile of rubble; behind her, Sahari smacked her hands to her ears. This time the electrical beam tore through the debris like a scissor through paper, and blasted the building materials in all directions.

The Sniper was already at the end of the hallway, jumping over obstacles like an athlete.

"Wait damn you!" Mikoto shouted, and ran after him. She could see nothing but the destruction around her, and all the pent-up rage inside was overflowing through her veins, clouding her mind.

"Misaka-san –" Shizuka could not say anymore before the girl had passed her, and the woman gritted her teeth, clenching her hands around the bleeding wound on her leg.

XXX

"Again!" Ruiko exclaimed as dust fell from the ceiling, the last echoes of the rumble dissipating. "Is it an earthquake or something?"

The guy they had helped was humping towards the escalator, and Kazari looked determined in the direction of the loud sound.

"Let's go, Saten-san!"

"Aaah, okay!"

XXX

Kuroko looked up at the mall as yet another distant booming noise was heard from inside. Sweat poured down the side of her face; she hoped the sound was not what she thought it was…

The Judgment branches had divided themselves and were scouring different parts of the building. Kuroko was moving to examine the area around the back; the damage would probably be very small there, but there were emergency exits at that side, so there might be someone needing help. Just as she came around the corner, she was shocked to see the persons outside the nearest emergency exit. The girl standing there looked her way, her face breaking into a grin.

"Sahari-san!"

XXX

Mikoto ran past a café when a stinging pain erupted from her arm, and she grimaced. One of the gashes had reopened, plaster going red already. She threw a lightning bolt into the cafeteria, tables and chairs thrown about by the power, but it hit the wall without making contact with her target, who so frustratingly stood in the middle of the store, plainly visible.

Sniper laughed loudly, echoing off the walls. "Come on, come on, miss number three!"

Irked, she charged her electricity again, the sparking noises filling her ears. A lightning storm assaulted the man standing arrogantly before her, and at the same time, she charged ahead.

He let the lightning bend away effortlessly, and then the floor fell apart beneath her; shock reverberating through her body, she fell.

There was at least seven meters from the ceiling to the floor on the next level – she'd have to break the fall –

"Hey hey, miss electroshock, you didn't forget, did you?" He laughed, and she realized he'd done it again; all she got was a spark, and no electricity to use as a lifeline.

_Crap!_ Falling with the debris, she hurriedly adjusted her magnetic field, and hit the floor with a bang. Scorching fire filled her chest, and she grimaced, hoisting herself up on all four. At least her legs hadn't broken.

Sniper laughed from above, and she gritted her teeth again. The floor cracked beneath his feet as well, forced downwards by a sudden pull of magnetism, and he fell with a surprised yell. Even though his fall was not as high as hers because of the pile of rubble already there, he hit it a lot harder than she had.

Mikoto gave a grin tinted with pain; seems like even his ridiculous power couldn't battle the most basic law in the universe.

"You – didn't forget, did you?" She asked, in between gasps of breath.

"Gaah!" He rose from the rubble, bleeding from a wound on his forehead, and turned his furious face to look at her. She grimaced as new gashes slashed over her skin, some on the arms and one on the cheek; without being able to use electricity, the only form of magnetism she could do was adjusting her own magnetic field, and by doing that, she had several pieces of rubble gather around her like a shield. Though she miscalculated and ended up using more force than necessary, making some of the debris hit her body right on. Soaring pain ran through her chest.

She couldn't possibly fight like this; her sight was spinning and her mind threatening to black out any moment. She didn't have any more tricks up her sleeve, and there was nothing around she could use to help herself. Lots of debris – but it was useless trying to hit him with a frontal attack.

Her cover fell apart, most likely due to her being unable to concentrate, but perhaps also because he disrupted the magnetism. Would the same trick she'd used last time work again? But she wouldn't have the strength to slug him, or even start manipulating both their magnetic fields at once… adjusting only her own would only result in more debris hitting her head on, and that was not a tempting thought.

Her time for thinking was already over. He gripped her collar, lifting her from the floor with a furious face.

She grabbed his hand, grimacing; if nothing else she'd fry his brains out, or at least knock him unconscious –

But nothing happened of course.

Sniper was laughing loudly at her feeble attempt. "Desperate now, are we?" He kneed her squarely in the stomach, and she screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath and not getting any.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he huffed, "here I was prepared for a hard battle, and this is all you've got?" He sounded disappointed, and nudged her with his foot. "Makes me wonder why MIKO is so set on having me fight you…"

She gritted her teeth, just as much from the pain as from anger. Why? Why was her power so easily manipulated by his ridiculous ability?

He reached down and grabbed her hair, and she cried in pain while he pulled her up to her knees.

"They even make me listen to that stupid brat!" He shouted furiously. "Do you get it? That fucking brat is kicking my ass around just because Kurina wants to see _your _fucking potential!"

He threw her back, and her shoulder hit the remains of a shelf with a thud; it was like having a knife driven through her chest. She gasped for air and rolled to her side, biting her lower lip hard.

If Mahashi-san wanted to see her potential, she would surely be disappointed; this was all she had, and it wasn't even enough to scratch Sniper in the slightest. If she could only pass out here and now and be released from the pain, it was enough for her. Anti-Skill would come, and with Capacity Down Sniper would be apprehended without her help, and everyone would be happy…

Her vision was turning blurry.

Suddenly something sparked in her pocket. Sounding like it was almost dead, the walkie-talkie poured out a rush of crackling sounds before finally a voice emerged.

"Misaka-san!" It was Uiharu's voice. But somehow, she also heard the voice for real; weakly, she turned her head to look upwards.

Ruiko, Kazari and Shizuka stood at the edge of the hole way up there. Shizuka was hoisted up between the two girls, an arm over each shoulder. Kazari was clenching the small walkie-talkie with a determined face, and Ruiko watched the scene below warily.

"Don't let the bastard get away, Misaka-san!" Shizuka yelled, her face covered in bleeding wounds and a red piece of cloth wrapped around her thigh. "He's not invincible!"

Well, that was easy to say; she wasn't the one lying here with ribs bathed in flaming chili sauce…

"Don't give me that hopeless look!" The woman shouted. "You're the Railgun, aren't you? Just use your imagination god damn it!"

"Tch." Sniper looked positively displeased as he gazed up at them. "I think you guys should _get lost_."

The ceiling cracked – Kazari and Ruiko exclaimed in surprise as their balance became wobbly, and then they all fell –

_Use my imagination, eh…_ Mikoto closed her eyes wearily. How could she possibly just imagine anything to happen? Her ability was tightly bound the earthly laws; it wasn't as ridiculous as this guy's incomprehensible power. It was just electricity – blue sparks that could shock and burn, and magnetism, but it was all useless in this condition. Really, how could anyone just keep on fighting even when the outcome was obvious? Like that spiky-haired freak, even taking on the top level five all by himself… Even though he claimed to be a level zero, he'd used his wits and his ridiculous ability to its full extent, and eventually emerged victorious. Anyone else would…anyone else would certainly…

Her heart constricted painfully. Anyone else… but…_ I'm not just anyone else!_ _Am I any worse than him? Electricity is versatile – it's not just lightning strikes or magnetism…_ Words from a distant past flowed through her mind; _"If only we could understand your power and control the electric signals in our brain, we could help kids such as these…" _

Her eyes shot open.

Kazari, Ruiko and Shizuka's fall abruptly ended when the debris falling with them suddenly magnetized and stuck together with the rubble already lying on the floor, creating a slide of debris sloping easily down to the floor. They hit it and slid down, hitting the ground with enough force to bruise, but was saved at least five meters of free fall.

Sniper's eyes grew large, and he looked back at Mikoto, who was just getting to her feet, still bleeding, scraped and bruised. She shouldn't be able to concentrate enough to pull off a move like that! Of course, even if he could lower the probability of it happening, it would never be zero – however she was hurt…

"I just realized…" she said, smiling weakly, "…when the electric signals from the nerves doesn't reach the brain…" She grabbed his arm; he reacted by adding another gash to her hand, but she didn't even flinch, "…then neither does the pain."

Suddenly his body collapsed, like a puppet with no master. He hit the floor like a lifeless sack, numbness filling his limbs. He opened his mouth to speak – and found he couldn't even do that. Not a single muscle in his body moved when he asked it too, and panic gripped at him, like it would anyone who suddenly lost all control of their own body.

Mikoto stood above him, smiling brightly, but to him, that smile was the same as a deadly grin. If she decided to finish him off now…

"I guess I should thank that idiot the next time I see him." She said. "Ah, but just in case you planned on doing anything else…" she bent down and put a hand on his forehead, and he wanted to scream, though his lips didn't respond to his commands. He stared at her smiling lips – and then everything went black.

Mikoto released a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion move steadily nearer with every second spent on controlling her own nervous signals. Thanks to that, she'd managed to get concentration back and even render Sniper unconscious, but there was no way she could keep it up for long.

She closed her eyes and released the restriction; pain rolled back into her body like a road roller was running over her. Breathing in shallow gasps, she forced open her eyes and looked at the trio who had fallen from the ceiling. It seemed they were mostly unhurt. Ruiko was pale faced, sporting a bleeding gash on her shin, and Kazari had a nice bump on her forehead, but none of them seemed to be bothered much. Shizuka, however, had passed out, and Kazari was busy rewrapping the makeshift bandage on the woman's leg.

"Hm?" Mikoto looked quickly around, then back at the girls. "Where's Sahari-san?"

"Huh?" Ruiko said, looking from Kazari's work to her. "Who?"

"The black-haired girl…"

"I'm impressed." From behind her, a peachy voice came. She turned around, and her eyes grew wide.

A young man in jeans and a white shirt, short brown hair and boring blue eyes was sauntering closer. No mistake he was Kono-kun from the interview at Anti-Skill; what the hell was he doing here? Beside him was Sahari Musiko; her arms bore a few gashes who'd already stopped bleeding, and her face was a grinning mask.

What was the most shocking, however, was the person whose neck he was holding in an arm lock, a gun pointed at her head –

"Kuroko!"

"Shotaro Hajime!" Kazari exclaimed at the same time. Mikoto gritted her teeth.

Kuroko's eyes were closed and she didn't react at their shouts. She looked dirty and scraped, and the bandages on one of her arms had loosened, revealing the red skin beneath. Mikoto lowered her chin slightly, a fire lighting up in her chest; even the pain seemed less constant at the moment.

The man stopped some meters away, smirking at her. "Hello, miss Railgun. I see you _decided_ to come here – and this time, I didn't even need to convince you."

"Did you do all this!" Kazari cried, face pale but angry. "You're the one who made that gang fight happen to divert Anti-Skill too, weren't you!"

He laughed. "How mean. You haven't even introduced yourself, yet you're already passing blame on me."

"Let Shirai-san go, you monster!" Ruiko yelled, eyes shining furiously.

"Ah, I can't do that, see; it's a safety measure." He waved his gun mere centimeters away from Kuroko's head, eyes gleaming.

Mikoto's hands fisted, her face reddening with anger, and her shoulders rising in signal of danger.

"Oh, miss Railgun," he continued, meeting her gaze squarely, "I _will_ shoot her."

She saw no joke in those eyes, and even though all her instincts cried otherwise, refrained from creating sparks in the air. At that close range, he could manage to shoot even if she used magnetism to pull his gun away, and besides… her head throbbed suddenly, and she put a hand to her temple.

Shotaro was smirking again. "Who knew level fives were so easily manipulated." He threw a gaze of contempt at the still Sniper. "Loverboy here, for example – one word from his beloved Kurina-san, and he went to seventh district to get your attention." His grin widened in a sickening way. "I never dreamed he'd do something this flashy; isn't he supposed to hate publicity?"

"You can control people's decisions, but not their actions." Kazari said heatedly from her spot beside Shizuka. Shotaro shrugged.

"I don't care. My goal was reached – I'm kind of disappointed though. Having such a hard time with number six… is the rankings just for fun or something?"

"It was hilarious how you lost to him." Sahari giggled. "Even I thought better of you, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You're just a brat after all."

"Guh –" Zaps of blue electricity escaped her, but Shotaro demonstratively shoved the gun harder into Kuroko's temple, making the small girl wince. Shaking with the effort of holding back, Mikoto gritted her teeth again. Why hadn't she been able to keep everyone out of this? No-one else should have been hurt; now Kuroko was hurt and threatened and even Kazari and Ruiko had been involved.

"You see how it is, don't you, Railgun-_sama_!" The dark haired boy laughed, his gaze at her arrogant and ridiculing. "Me and Mustaf arranged it all! We have friends, lots of friends, and I made them assault people – some of them didn't even know what they were doing!

"_I_ made you decide to let Mustaf go that night on the bridge! _I_ made Kurina-san decide to get involved personally, and _I_ was the one who made you decide to look for Sniper! I never dreamed you'd get so severely beaten!"

Mikoto lowered her head slightly, and the dirt around her feet floated upwards a few centimeters, like from an invisible gust of wind.

Shotaro continued to boast. "Who knew it'd be so easy to influence a level five! It's hilarious! However, I can't have any of this chasing me down going on any longer." His face instantly turned serious. "I had Mustaf take the blame for me first, but apparently, that was not enough. So I figured I should get rid of you all." He threw a disgusted look at Sniper. "Who knew he was so useless though."

Kuroko's eyes quivered, and opened slowly.

"Shirai-san!" Kazari exclaimed. Shotaro looked down for a second, tch'ing.

"Ability 'Forced Decision', level four." The smaller girl croaked from his armpit. "You truly are the one who have been manipulating people from the shadows. Mahashi-san, Anti-Skill, your friends… everyone." Shotaro drove the gun hard into Kuroko's temple, and Mikoto gritted her teeth again.

"Shut your face, bitch, before I blow your brains out!"

Kuroko smirked tiredly, then teleported away, and Shotaro was holding nothing but air; bewildered, his gaze flew about the room, and Mikoto finally let out a stream of lightning. But the fierce electricity didn't reach the target; instead hitting what seemed like an invisible wall.

"What –" she started, and saw Sahari's grin – _She's got an ability like that?_

Kuroko appeared beside Shotaro and delivered a kick to his back so he fell forward, then followed it up with an effective karate chop, planning on ending it already – but her bandaged hand met another of those invisible shields, and she shrieked in pain as it hit the hard surface.

Sahari was grinning confidently, yet seemed keener on running away by now. Shotaro crawled away from the teleporter, and stopped at the electric charge that hit the floor in front of him. He turned to look at Mikoto, a sick grin around his mouth.

"You're way too stupid, Railgun! I'll have you attack your own friends just for that!"

Sparks was crackling in the air. "There's no way…" She started, "you'll ever influence anyone again!"

Shotaro's face turned shocked, then he got to his feet and ran – "Hell no!" – electricity ran over the floor, climbed the wall and seemingly entered the ceiling; it suddenly collapsed in front of him, steel bars falling with the debris and creating a barrier in his path. He turned, gasping for breath, and too late they noticed he still had his gun: There was a bang, and Kuroko cried out and fell, a bleeding wound sporting her shin. Mikoto's face turned white, eyes growing big – Shotaro was laughing, gun still pointed at them, even while Kazari and Ruiko ran over to Kuroko; Kazari tore off Kuroko's armband and Ruiko followed by unwinding her own scarf to make another makeshift bandage.

"I've done my part of the deal, haven't I, Sahari-san?" Shotaro yelled. "You'll date me now, right? No-one can say I haven't ridiculed the Railgun – I even made her fight the Sniper, and she lost!" He laughed again. Kuroko was gritting her teeth, and Sahari seemed uneasy.

"You're not so great after all, eh?" Shotaro was laughing wildly, fingers twitching and eyes gleaming madly. "Level fives aren't such a big deal, eh?" He looked at Ruiko, Kazari and Kuroko, who were just finishing binding the wound, and laughed even louder. "You're all weak!"

Mikoto felt her face heat up, and the air seemed foreboding around her, as if it would darken any moment, or start spewing out fire. She saw Kuroko's burnt skin and the makeshift bandage, saw scrapes and bruises on Ruiko and Kazari, saw the still form of Sniper, and Shizuka just starting to sit up, obviously in pain. Her guilty conscience of having them all involved gnawed at her mercilessly.

Still, in the end, it was _he_ who had made it happen. _He_ had manipulated them all.

"You…" she muttered, and the tone alone was enough to make a chill go down their spines.

"What, you want me to show you how helpless you are?" Shotaro grinned. "How about I blow another hole in your little friend?" He waved the gun in the direction of Kuroko, who grit her teeth again, preparing a biting retort.

However, just as her mouth opened, Mikoto said: "You did all this for a measly date?"

Her voice was level, but no-one in that room failed to recognize the anger boiling just beneath. She was staring at the floor, and the dust had risen around her, like in a slow, lazy dance.

"You… used your own friends…" a blue spark crackled from her shoulder, "caused all those people to be hurt … involved my friends…" another spark emitted from her temple, "and you even…" a burnt hand entered her mind, and she was unable to finish; Kuroko was at the verge of saying something, but didn't know what. She didn't know what could happen in this situation.

"…you did all that for _ONE_ LOUSY DATE?" Mikoto's head snapped upright, and her yell was accompanied by a storm of lightning striking from the ceiling to her like the base for a thunder storm. The whole place lit up and a feeling of static ran through them all.

Kuroko grimaced, and the others shrieked in surprise and ducked. Shotaro was shivering, but still held the gun pointed at them. His forehead was shining with sweat.

"Are you going to fight me?" He smirked unconvincingly. "Haven't you realized yet? Your power is nothing compared to mine! I can force you to act in any way I like –" he turned his gun at her, "– or I could just shoot you!"

He fired, and then something completely out of the blue happened: Shizuka was suddenly falling, grasping her shoulder in a cry of pain, blood gushing everywhere. It was a given; anyone who had never used a gun before would have trouble aiming properly. Firing from a short range was easy, but hitting your target with several meters in between, even the slightest degree wrong could make the difference.

Mikoto's expression first turned shocked, then twisted in anger, and the force of her powers grew in coordination. With a mindless shriek of rage, the place where Shotaro stood was bombarded with a barrage of lightning – but through the ensuing dust, a shimmering shield emerged, and Shotaro sat behind it, sweaty and scared, but still grinning.

Sahari collapsed where she stood, clutching her head.

Shotaro's mouth twisted into a grin again, and he fired a series of shots at Mikoto – they were all incinerated instantly by lighting. His face turned ashen, and he continued to pull the trigger, but his gun only returned empty clicks.

"I won't pretend I understand everything," Mikoto was glaring at him angrily, "but I do understand that you're the closest badass around." Her voice had calmed down, but the electricity surrounding her gave away her state of mind clearly.

She was done being ridiculed and tricked, done being beaten around and incapacitated by pain.

"I don't understand your motif or your gain…" her jaw tightened, "but still…" she clenched her fists. Shotaro's expression became horrified, and sweat was pouring down his face. "…still…" the electricity grew in rage around her, dust and debris lifting from the ground and her hair and clothes fluttering, "…still, no-one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" Her voice grew louder, and her expression was more than furious. "You think your ability is so great it's made you totally reliant on it! Going on and on about level fives; I'll show you the real power of a level five!"

One could swear even her eyes was glowing with the color of electricity at that very moment.

There was an explosion of light, and the sound disappeared. It was as if it was blasted away together with any shadows, which were eradicated from the intense electricity emitted from the electromaster.

Kuroko and the others clenched their eyes shut and shielded their faces while feeling their clothes flutter wildly, and the debris around them rise into the air.

Shotaro screamed, but no-one heard, or even saw as he tried to crawl away from the cracking floor, then realized it was all falling apart, even the walls and ceiling.

From the outside, it looked like a giant lightning strike erupted from the mall. The buildings close by instantly lost power, street lights exploded, windmills stopped spinning and started smoking instead, and those outside ran for their lives.

Inside the building it was all white, hot and deafening, static running over their skin yet still not burning it away, as if the electricity had been tuned to affect the metal in the building and not living beings; tearing the mall apart, its very framework twisted and smashed by the enormous magnetic force.

It felt like ages passed, but in reality it lasted only a few seconds. When the blinding light finally faded, the air was still sizzling, and blue lightning crackled through it every now and then. Like a deserted battleground, the mall was silent. The silence seemed just as deafening as the noise before.

Kuroko had her hands clasped firmly on her head, and hesitatingly opened an eye; then both of them, and they were growing wide. Instead of looking ahead at a store with shelves and a cash register, she was staring right out into Academy City; there was no store anymore, no register, no wall. Half the mall was gone, both floors roughly cut in two. Heavy debris was spread all over; the rest was floating in the air as dust, creating the illusion of smoke. None of those steel bars or pipes had hit them, and that was certainly not a coincidence. It even seemed like the electricity had not hurt a single person.

Mikoto stood in the floating dust, breathing heavily while small sparks still travelled across her skin. She was watching the spot where the hallway had previously been, what was now an even bigger pile of rubble, and her head was throbbing dangerously. Her body was empty, like there was nothing left. At the moment, she doubted she could even make a single light bulb glow.

Shotaro was still on the same spot, sitting on his bottom, looking back at the electromaster with a petrified look on his face. He was scraped and bruised, but otherwise unhurt. His eyes were watering up, and he was shivering uncontrollably.

"H-how…" he stammered, "no way… fuck…" His gaze met hers, and he shrieked and shielded his face. "I'm sorry!" He cried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry -" he fell over, hands on his head, and sobbed in fear.

"Pathetic." Mikoto huffed, sweaty and exhausted, and rubbed a hand on her forehead. She was feeling woozy, and suddenly collapsed on the cracked floor.

"Onee-sama!" Hurriedly despite her own wound, Kuroko teleported over and kneeled beside her, shaking her shoulder. Mikoto breathed shallowly and opened her eyes, looking up into the darkening sky that had been revealed now that the roof was gone. Her body felt like jelly, and her head was spinning. Someone had stabbed a row of forks at her chest.

"I guess that was a bit over the top." She said weakly.

"That was _way_ over the top!" Kuroko shrieked, covering up her lingering fear with anger. "It would have sufficed to render him immobile!"

Mikoto gave a breath that could have been a laugh, avoiding Kuroko's eyes.

"That wouldn't have had the same impact, though." She said solemnly. "He needed a shock to get back down to earth."

"But still -!" Kuroko protested, but was silenced by Mikoto's tired smile directed at her.

Her voice grew more and more tired as she said: "I'm… counting on you to… clean up the mess…" Then she relented to the darkness tugging at the corners of her eyes, and fell into a mixture of unconsciousness and sleep.

"Wha – Onee-sama!" Kuroko's shrilled voice didn't even warrant a twitch from the burned-out Mikoto, and after hesitating a moment with a sour expression on her face, the pigtailed girl went on yelling her fear and irritation out on the other girl.

Ruiko was speechless. She'd seen amazing displays of power from the older girl before, but never anything like this. Never anything that had made her fear for herself as well.

Kazari seemed just as shocked, mouth agape and wide-eyed.

"Wow…"

* * *

Note: When I read this now, I can't do anything but think of how much I've learned - as a writer - since I wrote it. I would have gone through it and polished some parts even more, but I have barely slept this weekend (horror-live ftw), and I figured perhaps you wanted the chapter as it is rather than wait a long time for minor changes. Hope you enjoy!


	22. Saturday, Evening

**Saturday, September 23rd **

**Evening**

"Man, that was a seriously great concert!" Ruiko stretched her arms above her head contently, leaning back into her chair.

"I didn't know he was going to play his unreleased single!" Kazari said eagerly.

"It's going to be a number one hit at once!" Kasuri exclaimed, and waved at the waitress coming their way.

"It sure was worth the trouble of begging our parents to transfer our allowance a bit earlier." Inu said, slowly stirring her soda with the straw. They were sitting at a table outside a café close to the seventh district main plaza, just having finished witnessing the Hitotsui Hajime concert.

"Too bad Shirai-san and Misaka-san couldn't be here." Kasuri said, eyeing the parfait the waitress put in front of her with voracious glee.

"I was looking forward to get to know them better." Inu added.

"They're a curious couple all right." Ruiko grinned, and winced when a fist was suddenly grinded into her head.

"I don't want to hear the word 'couple' in this context." A non-amused voice said.

"Ah –" Kazari brightened, "Misaka-san, Shirai-san!"

"Talk about the devil." Ruiko laughed, and breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure on her head disappeared.

Kuroko was smirking at her onee-sama, looking much like herself despite the bandages on her arms, cast on her leg and the crutch she was humping along with. Mikoto was also back to having her arms covered in bandages, and plasters over the less serious gashes. They looked like actors playing the part of mummies in an amateur play, and people were obviously throwing them looks.

Compared to this, the few plasters that Kazari and Ruiko sported was nothing.

"Should you guys even be out of hospital?" Ruiko asked as Kuroko plumped down on a chair, and Mikoto sat down with her arms and legs crossed.

"These are just minor inconveniences." Mikoto huffed, but Kuroko looked deadpanned at her.

"Onee-sama should be aware that the doctor will have a fit when he finds our beds vacant…"

"Well, you did the job of teleporting us out, so you'll get the blame. Besides, you didn't want to stay and finish writing your apology letters, did you?"

"Ugh…"

Kazari and Ruiko smiled relieved at this exchange, and Kasuri and Inu looked uncertain as to whether they should laugh or not. Mikoto looked at them, suddenly realizing she'd seen them with Kazari and Ruiko inside the mall yesterday.

"Ah," Ruiko said, remembering her manners, "this is Shimawata Kasuri and Kunita Inu," she gestured to them in order. "They're me and Uiharu's classmates."

"Oh." Mikoto smiled. "I'm Misaka Mikoto. And this is my roommate Shirai Kuroko." Kuroko smiled proudly.

"It's an honor to meet you!" Kasuri cried and bowed her head deeply. Inu hesitated, then did the same. Mikoto scratched her cheek and grinned awkwardly.

Yesterday had been spent for the most part at the hospital. Anti-Skill arrived at the mall half an hour after the ordeal was over, and arrested Shotaro, Sniper and Sahari Musiko (she was threatening to sue them all too). After they had been patched up by the doctors, they gave their explanations to the Anti-Skill officers, and while Ruiko and Kazari were allowed to leave after that, the Tokiwadai duo had to stay because of their serious wounds.

Those wounds didn't seem to bother any of them much while they ate ice cream, drank tea and chatted happily until it was nearing curfew time though, and they decided it was time to split up.

While Kasuri and Inu went one way, Kazari and Ruiko followed the Tokiwadai students on their way back to the hospital.

Walking down the darkening streets, Kazari asked: "How is Otonashi-san doing?"

"Ah, last I heard, she was coming around in her room." Mikoto said. "She's had the bullet removed from her shoulder and looks like Tutankhamun, but she'll be fine."

"Haah. And Sniper?"

Mikoto looked away at this, a sweat drop travelling down her temple.

"He's fine." Kuroko elaborated. "His EEG scans are back to normal and none of his nerves took any lasting damage, even though onee-sama obviously did her best in ending his very life –"

"I did not!" Mikoto exclaimed, but Kuroko elegantly brushed her protest away.

"Onee-sama, there is no such thing as secrets between you and me. Kuroko sees through it all."

Mikoto glared at her, but had to relent. She couldn't really deny the fact that it might have ended up killing him. She had no idea what she was doing in that moment, having never even tried to manipulate the nervous system like that before.

Ruiko put her hands behind her head and said: "But man, I still feel like I understand nothing at all. Was it really that Shotaro guy who was behind it all?"

"That's what it looks like," Kazari said, "and he confessed everything in the interview with Anti-Skill. His last resort move with the mall to rid himself of his pursuers failed miserably – he thought the Sniper would choose a more anonymous approach."

"He really tried to use him like an assassin…"

"Yeah…"

"Still, to do so much just to get a date with that girl... I almost pity him." Ruiko's expression was strained in spite of her words.

"Perhaps, but according to William Mustaf, MIKO was actually in on this to some extent." Kuroko said. "While Shotaro may certainly have convinced Mahashi Kurina to decide to participate, they were indeed involved. Turns out MIKO are currently investigating Sniper's powers, and they were looking for an opportunity to test him versus another level five." Her hand gestured to Mikoto, who felt her face redden. She felt stupid for having fallen for it; even though it was Shotaro's fault, it still felt like she should have realized something at that Anti-Skill interview.

"Apparently, Sahari-san had promised to date Shotaro if he ridiculed Misaka-san," Kazari continued, "and he asked Mustaf for help. Mustaf is a trainee in MIKO, and knew the group was looking for an opportunity to test his abilities, and so, they arranged the attacks to make them clash."

"Wow. And it even worked, somehow. I'm amazed." Ruiko said. "Then, what about the tagging? Was that his doing as well?"

"We think they started that to divert attention, or make even more ruckus in the city," Kazari said, "but it could also be an entirely different reason. That's up to Anti-Skill to find out!" She stretched her arms. "I'm glad we're done with this. It sure was a hassle!"

"That's true, and having to explain ourselves to Anti-Skill – it felt like I was saying the same thing over and over again." Ruiko complained, but grinned.

Mikoto stared at the ground in front of her, feeling the dull throb of her ribs with every step. Her face was solemn, eyes not really seeing what was in front of her. It felt like there was a knot in her chest.

"Onee-sama." Kuroko appeared at her side, and hooked her free arm around hers. "I see a guilty look on your face."

"Wha – no way, you're imagining things, you idiot!" She was about to rip her arm away, but realized Kuroko would fall.

"Ah, you're right." Ruiko said, smirking from her other side, and Mikoto looked at her in surprise, face reddening still. The longhaired girl leaned slightly forward while walking, hand on her chin. "Could it be you're feeling bad for us being involved in this?"

"Ack-" _Am I _that_ easy to read!_

"Knowing Misaka-san, she's thinking she should have fixed this whole mess by herself without having anyone else involved." Kazari said all-knowingly. "That's just like her!"

"We all know that's ridiculous." Kuroko smirked. "No matter how skilled you are at hacking, you'd never have been able to gain all the information needed without anyone noticing."

Mikoto's face looked like she was the one having burns rather than Kuroko, and she stared straight ahead, not knowing what to say. She'd somehow imagined just barging straight ahead and mow down all the badasses, but when thinking about it, she realized it would have been impossible.

How would she have found Mustaf and Shotaro, in the first place?

"We're your friends you know," Kazari said, "we're supposed to help each other!"

"Even though onee-sama is not part of either Judgment or Anti-Skill, and actually should be the one not involved at all." Kuroko added importantly.

"Besides, there's no reason to think of what _could_ have happened." Ruiko said, surprisingly mature. "What's happened, happened. The best we can do is cope with it."

"Umm…" Mikoto's face was still red, but she saw the logic. They were right, of course. She sighed, then threw her head up. "Stop doing that, it's creepy!" She bellowed. "I'm not thinking any of that – jeez!" The other girls giggled at her give-away protest, and she sighed again, but smiled nonetheless. She was actually happy to hear those words – they lifted a lot of weight off her shoulders.

"All that's missing now for a beautiful, happy ending," Kuroko suddenly said, dreamily leaning into Mikoto, "is a heartfelt kiss!" And she leaned forward, lips pouted.

"Guah – Kuroko!" Mikoto tried to push her away, completely red-faced, while Ruiko and Kazari laughed loudly.

THE END

* * *

Ending note:

I decided to post the last chapter as well, as it is more of an epilogue than anything else. An attempt at ending a story that had absolutely no plan at all, and to be honest, I am quite happy with the result. I could have dragged the story on, but I wanted to start on something else instead - something with more of a plan. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and I hope you liked it enough to want to read more of what I write (which is currently A Certain Destined Introduction).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and so on! This is my first finished story in ten years, so I'm quite happy that I managed to stumble through it - I also learned a lot, which I have been sure to bring over into my next story. Again, hope you enjoyed this first-born fan fic, and hope to see lots of Mikoto in Index 2 (which I am quite certain we will ;) ).


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